BNP Secretary General and Local Government Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has called on the nation to follow the path and ideals of President Ziaur Rahman to consolidate independence, multi-party democracy, and national development.
In a message marking the 45th martyrdom anniversary of the BNP founder on May 30, Fakhrul said: “The path, philosophy and programs shown by Shaheed Zia are the safeguards for the consolidation of our independence and sovereignty, multi-party democracy, and national development and progress.”
Fakhrul recalled that Ziaur Rahman declared Bangladesh’s independence from Kalurghat Radio Station in Chattogram and, as a sector commander of the Liberation War and commander of Z Force, achieved the place of a heroic figure in the nation’s history.
“Inspired by the clarion call of his declaration of independence on March 26, young students, workers, youth and people from various walks of life rushed into the war. As a result, resisting the destructive power of the invading forces, the nation marched towards victory,” he said.
After coming to state power, Fakhrul noted, Zia restored multi-party democracy and civil liberties including press freedom and began making the country economically self-reliant through the politics of production based on voluntary labour.
“He transformed Bangladesh from being labelled a ‘bottomless basket’ into a food-exporting country. He despised corruption, false promises and surrender to opportunism in his personal life as well,” the BNP secretary general said.
Fakhrul alleged that domestic and foreign conspiratorial forces never accepted Zia’s popularity and plotted against him, culminating in his brutal murder at the Circuit House in Chattogram on May 30, 1981.
“A born statesman is not forgotten just by being removed from the world; rather, he remains eternally present in the hearts of his own country’s people,” he said.
Recalling the fall of Sheikh Hasina on 5 August 2024, through the blood of students and the public, Fakhrul said the victory must now be given full shape. He noted that free and fair elections have been held and that under Tarique Rahman’s leadership, the BNP-led coalition government is committed to ensuring accountability, transparency, tolerance, and all civil rights.
“We must move forward by holding the path and ideals shown by Shaheed Zia to our hearts, and we must build a steel-hard popular unity to protect national interests, multi-faceted democracy, and the rights of the people,” he said.
The BNP secretary general urged all to celebrate the martyrdom anniversary extensively at all levels with due dignity.
