Independence Day: BNP allowed to bring out procession in capital today

The BNP has got permission from Dhaka Metropolitan Police for bringing out a procession in the capital today, marking the 48th Independence Day.

The procession will begin from Nayapaltan at 2:00pm and end at Shantinagar, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, BNP senior joint secretary general, told The Daily Star.

Talking to this newspaper, DMP Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia said they gave the permission and asked the party to bring out the procession peacefully.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir yesterday alleged that false cases had been filed against party Chairperson Khaleda Zia and its acting chairman Tarique Rahman to keep them away from politics and elections.

“All the democratic institutions have been destroyed and people's rights have been snatched away,” he said.

“We will restore democracy through movement,” Fakhrul told journalists after placing wreaths at party founder Ziaur Rahman's grave in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.

On Independence Day, the BNP leaders vowed to have Khaleda and other detained party leaders and activists released, he said.

Earlier, the party paid homage to the martyrs of the Liberation War by placing wreaths at the National Memorial in Savar.

As BNP chief Khaleda has been in jail in a corruption case since February 8, the party's senior leaders, led by its standing committee members, placed the wreaths at the memorial. Fakhrul was also with them.

The BNP leaders also stood in solemn silence there for a while as a mark of respect to the Liberation War martyrs.

They then went to Ziaur Rahman's grave and offered munajat seeking salvation of Zia's departed soul.

It is unfortunate that the Independence Day has been celebrated while “Mother of Democracy” Khaleda is in jail, Fakhrul said.

Party's standing committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Moudud Ahmed, Abdul Moyeen Khan, Nazrul Islam Khan, Mirza Abbas and Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Vice-chairmen Abdullah Al Noman, Mohammad Shahjahan and AZM Zahid were present at both places.

In the morning, the BNP hoisted national and party flags atop its Nayapaltan central office and all other offices.

The party and its associate bodies have planned different programmes, including holding discussions and bringing out processions, to mark the Independence Day.