‘Mass murderers’ can never again do politics in Bangladesh: Home minister

The ruling BNP and allied forces will never again let the Awami League fascist group, which massacred civilians, do politics in the country, said Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed at a political rally held in the capital on Saturday.

BNP activists from Dhaka-6 constituency organised the rally at “Sadek Hossain Khoka Field” in Dholaikhal, Dhaka.

The Awami League fascists carried out the most murders in independent Bangladesh, and therefore, they will never again be allowed to do politics inside the country, Salahduddin added.

“During the Awami League regime, we shed bloods to uphold democracy. Now we will again forge unity and take to the streets to resist the return of fascist forces,” the home minister said.

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Those who killed people with bullets, must face justice, and not a single one will be spared, he added.

The justice against Awami League convicts will be ensured through the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), the number of which will be increased when it is deemed necessary for the trial process, he said.

The government has already initiated proceedings for extraditing Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina and others from India, but India is yet to respond to the repatriation calls, Salahuddin said.

Many Awami League activists are convening online regularly to revive their morale while they remain in hiding to evade the law. Intelligence reports indicate they are planning to return and rehabilitate Hasina, Salahuddin said.

The government too wants her to return and face justice, he added.

Upon their return, if Hasina and her allies seek to file appeals against their convictions, they will be allowed to do so when deemed necessary, Salahuddin said.

Salahuddin also condemned the street movements being waged by the Opposition Alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami.

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The home minister said that such anti-government movement is pre-matured and questionable when the BNP administration has spent only seven months in office.

Strong anti-government protests are usually launched four years after a government is formed, but the Jamaat-led Opposition has launched the protests within only seven months, Salahuddin said questioning the motive.

The people will reject the Jamaat-e-Islami which once stood against the country’s struggle for independence, Salahuddin said.

He also warned that the Opposition would be unwise to think that BNP and its allies would sit idly while they stage “long marches” across the country.

Referring to the Opposition’s protest against energy price hikes, Salahuddin said that the prices have been raised almost in every country of the world, in some cases two-three folds, in the wake of the supply disruptions caused by the war in the Middle East.

However, the Opposition is deliberately avoiding mentioning the global scenario, the minister alleged.

He also apologised to the people for any potential trouble created by the "unavoidable" energy prices hikes, and reminded that Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has already apologised to the people for the potential inflationary pressures.