BNP wants SSF for Khaleda
Main opposition BNP has demanded Special Security Force (SSF) protection for its Chairperson Khaleda Zia, who will lead a massive anti-government campaign across the country.
The National Standing Committee, the highest policymaking forum of the party, decided to launch the campaign at a meeting at the chairperson's Gulshan office on Thursday night.
BNP leaders welcomed Sajeeb Wazed Joy's joining politics and hoped it would bring a qualitative change in "the political culture of ruling Awami League."
Standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan yesterday briefed journalists at the party's Naya Paltan office about the committee decisions.
BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was also present.
The committee formed 19 teams with central leaders to ratchet up party's organisational activities. The teams will organise meetings for party workers as well as public meetings in all district headquarters by April 7.
Party Chief Khaleda will address public meetings in all divisional headquarters across the country during the period.
"We are deeply concerned about the two recent bomb attacks targeting BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia. BNP standing committee demands SSF protection for her," said Nazrul.
He said since a law was passed to provide SSF protection to the premier and her family members, a similar law should be enacted to ensure security of Khaleda, who was elected premier thrice.
The BNP-led governments did not provide SSF protection to the then opposition leader Sheikh Hasina.
The previous AL government enacted a law in June 2001, providing SSF protection to two daughters of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman --Hasina and Rehana.
But the BNP-Jamaat alliance government scrapped the law in December 2001 right after assuming power.
Asked if the bomb attacks were staged by BNP itself, Nazrul said this insinuation was part of the propaganda by Awami League. "They are spreading the untruth as they don't want to offer Khaleda Zia any security."
On Joy's joining politics, he said they hope and believe that Joy's joining in AL as a progressive man will help the party change its "bad political culture of repression and hostility towards political opponents."
"We see it positively. He [Joy] has come under political framework and all his activities will be considered from a political perspective," he added.
The committee also demanded immediate trial and punishment to the perpetrators and their patrons in the killings at the BDR headquarters.
BNP leaders called for "reinstatement of the army" in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and expressed worries over the recent violence in the CHT.
They also offered condolence to the bereaved family members of deceased garment workers in Gazipur and demanded compensation for them.
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