BNP has been hounded over the last 18 years. The party chief, Khaleda Zia, was put in jail and not allowed treatment abroad while her son, Tarique Rahman, has been living in London since 2008 and faces a prison sentence back home. But with the Awami League regime gone, change is in the offing. BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir talks about a host of issues with Special Correspondent Partha Pratim Bhattacharjee.

TDS: You have said that the BNP agrees to give reasonable time for reforms before elections. How much time are you willing to give the interim government for that?

Fakhrul: The interim government is not elected. It is, in fact, selected. The main responsibility of this incumbent is to reform institutions -- that are on the verge of complete collapse -- that are indispensable for holding a free and impartial election.

It is difficult to say how much time will be needed for that as the previous Awami League government destroyed each of these institutions.

TDS: You urged the interim government for a roadmap for the next election and its reform plan. Where do you think immediate reforms are necessary? And if the BNP is voted to power, will it move to endorse those reforms at the parliament?

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Immediately unveil roadmap for elections

Fakhrul: The immediate past government has totally destroyed the judiciary, election commission as well as law enforcement. These institutions were politicised and criminalised. This is where we need immediate reforms.

Bangladesh's economy is facing problems that cannot be resolved immediately. But some measures are needed right away in the banking sector. It may not be possible within a short time but there should at least be a start for making some drastic changes.

We want reforms in largely four sectors -- Election Commission, law enforcement agencies, civil bureaucracy and judiciary. But the interim government should consult with political parties and stakeholders before their reform initiatives. And yes, we will certainly endorse reforms that are in line with consultations with political parties.

TDS:  Where does the BNP stand about bringing back the acting chairman, Tarique Rahman?

Fakhrul:  We want to bring him back. We believe that the cases against him have no merit, were fabricated and filed out of vengeance. His return would benefit both the country and the party.

TDS: During the meeting with the chief adviser, Professor Muhammad Yunus, you demanded withdrawal of cases against BNP leaders and activists across the country. There are several cases against Tarique Rahman and 111 against you. Has there been any progress?

Fakhrul: Yes, we did and we also spoke to the attorney general. We are drawing up a list and will provide it to the government.

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BNP focused on getting thousands of cases withdrawn

Around 2,000 BNP members and activists have already got bail but their cases are still pending. We wanted to have the cases withdrawn as they are totally false. The sooner the cases are withdrawn, the better.

TDS: You have repeatedly asked that your party chief, Khaleda Zia, be allowed to travel abroad for better treatment. Any updates on that front?

Fakhrul: We, as well as the medical board, are working on it. It is not possible to send her abroad right now. It is yet to be decided whether she will be able to fly given her current health. Also, it is not decided where she would go. It really depends on her physical condition.

TDS: How well is the BNP prepared for an election?

Fakhrul:  We did not sit idle for the last 15 years. We held district and sub-district meetings virtually connecting with party acting chairman Tarique Rahman and other party leaders. We held the party's standing committee meetings every week. We are completely prepared for the next elections.

TDS: There have been numerous reports of one extortion gang replacing the previous one. Many of the victims say, the extortion and persecution is still on, just that the people doing it have changed. The BNP has already expelled a few party men for their involvement in such activities. But what would you say about this political culture?

Fakhrul: Very unfortunate. During any political changeover, some incidents happen. It is part of the burden that we bear. Our society did not change overnight with the fall of the Awami League. There are still many who are criminals and I would strongly object to likening criminals to BNP activists. There may be many affiliated with the BNP, but a criminal will never get any support from the party.

The BNP has taken action against those involved with such activities. But I object to headlines that say the BNP is involved in these hostile takeovers.

TDS: We have seen since 1991 that the incumbents sideline the opposition in this winner-take-all culture. How do you plan to overcome this?

Fakhrul: We need a system of peaceful transfer of power, which we couldn't establish in five decades. We have developed a culture where one needs to be forced out of power. This is dangerous. A political consensus is the only way to end this. Democracy must be allowed to flourish.

A good system —caretaker government— was formed. We have a proposal to introduce a caretaker system permanently to hold elections within 90 days. We will have to incorporate this provision into the constitution.

TDS: The Jamaat-e-Islami has been a key political ally of the BNP. But you appear to be distancing yourself from the Jamaat for some time. What is the status of the BNP-Jamaat relation?

Fakhrul: The alliance we had with the Jamaat had become dysfunctional long ago. But we were carrying out our anti-government campaigns simultaneously on the basis of mutual consultations. That was how we conducted our campaigns till the fall of the previous regime.

Since then, we have been in touch with other parties considering that the interim government is in power and there will be an election soon. Hence an overall political compact is necessary. But at the moment we are not in an alliance.

TDS: Sheikh Hasina's son Sajeeb Wazed Joy expressed a desire to work together with the BNP putting aside the longstanding rivalry. How do you respond to that?

Fakhrul: After the fall of the Awami League, BNP chief Khaleda Zia said she doesn't want the politics of destruction, revenge, and vengeance.

But the Awami League will have to answer for its activities of the last 15 years. The party must be held accountable for ruining the country's politics and destroying the economy. We have no objection to a political party adhering to democratic principles. We firmly believe every political party and every person has the right to do politics.

TDS: There is a demand to ban the Awami League. Do you think that one of the oldest parties of the country should be banned?

Fakhrul: Neither I nor my party favours banning any political party. BNP founder Ziaur Rahman introduced multi-party democracy. The Awami League had started a one-party rule, but our leader Khaleda Zia started parliamentary democracy. So, no, we don't support banning any political party.

TDS: We have seen that the BNP has a pro-China foreign policy, while the Awami League is pro-Indian. What will be your stance this time if the BNP is voted to power?

Fakhrul: We don't want friendship with any particular country. We want friendship with all. Also, we don't want any country to build relations with a particular party. We will develop a foreign policy based on mutual interest.

TDS: There have been numerous allegations against BNP's 2001–06 tenure. Will the BNP take lessons from its earlier mistakes? What is the guarantee that another Hawa Bhaban will not come back if the party is voted to power?

Fakhrul:  Some media and individuals propagated this narrative that Hawa Bhaban was undermining the party and its leadership. The BNP has never done anything that went against the people. There might have been mistakes, though.

Hawa Bhaban was a personal office. Can anyone give me an example that someone was tortured or forcibly confined there? Some compare Hawa Bhaban with "Aynaghar" (a facility to forcibly confine mostly political opponents illegally and torture them). That is gross misrepresentation. It's a conspiracy to belittle the BNP's achievements.

If there is an election, people will decide which party is good, which is not. We will have to accept the election result. If we can't come to power, we accept defeat and go back.