BNP Standing Committee member Nazrul Islam Khan has commented that collective effort is needed to preserve the victory of students and the public.
He said this at the roundtable meeting titled ‘Responsibility of Reforms and Roadmap for Elections’ of the Forum for Bangladesh Studies on Unity, Reforms and Elections at the Khamarbari Krishibid Institute in the capital on Saturday (December 28).
Nazrul Islam Khan said, “We always say, we want good, we want better. Our desire to get is endless. Almighty Allah has given us the opportunity to maintain the victory of the mass uprising. But if we do what we want, we will lose everything and regret it. Therefore, collective effort is needed to maintain the victory.”
Stating that administrative officials have created a ‘chaotic’ situation across the country with various demands, he said, “Now is not the time for complaints. Now is the time for cooperation. No political party or social organization can do everything alone. We have to cooperate with each other.”
Even though the people's victories in the language movement of 1952, the great liberation war of 1971, and the anti-Ershad uprising of 1990 have been defeated by political reality, the victory of the anti-fascist uprising of 2004 cannot be allowed to be nullified, he said.
BNP leader Nazrul Islam Khan said, "I have participated in many movements and struggles throughout my life. Even after winning, I have repeatedly lost. I have won many victories, but I could not sustain them. Now the question arises, can we sustain the sacrifices of those who have been martyred in the long-standing democratic movement; who have been subjected to torture, oppression, and disappeared; or who have given their lives and become disabled in the mass uprising of 2004?"
He said, "Among the various reform processes in the country, the administrative, political, and social spheres are now full of demands. Political analysts have commented that this has created an unstable situation in the country."
Many people commented at the meeting that the unity that had been built among the political parties in the country to topple the Awami League government had been eroded. Senior politician Nazrul Islam Khan said, "We have differences on various issues. This is necessary for the health of democracy." The seminar, moderated by Daily Ittefaq's executive editor Saleh Uddin, featured the following as discussants: Brigadier General (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain, adviser to the Ministry of Shipping, Labor and Employment of the interim government; Subrata Chowdhury, co-chairman of Gono Forum; Rashed Al Titumir, professor and economist at Dhaka University; Nurul Kabir, editor of New Age; Advocate Hasnat Qayyum, coordinator of the State Reform Movement; Abul Hasan Rubel, executive coordinator of the Gono Sanghati Andolon; Sarwar Tushar, executive member of the National Citizens' Committee; Habibur Rahman Habib, member of the Research Cell; Mawlana Gazi Ataur Rahman, leader of the Islamic Shasantantra Movement; and lyricist Shahidullah Faraji.