BNP’s acting general secretary and the prime minister’s political adviser, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, said on Monday that fugitive Sheikh Hasina has applied for a Bangladeshi passport and National Identity Card (NID).
He stressed that the law will take its own course, but her dream of returning to the country will not come true through daily cocktail explosions and the deliberate creation of fear among the public.
Rizvi made the remarks on Monday afternoon (9 November) at a discussion meeting of Zia Parishad held at the National Press Club on the occasion of National Revolution and Solidarity Day.
He said the spirit of 7 November was the fall of arrogant looters. Even after the genocide, the fugitive Hasina shows no remorse and remains unrepentant. India’s former prime minister Indira Gandhi had apologised at various meetings after the mistake of imposing the Emergency. Sheikh Hasina, however, has shown no repentance for the killings and torture that took place during her rule.
The BNP acting general secretary recalled that Begum Khaleda Zia was kept in jail on false cases, and at that time people were told “the law runs its own course.” He asked why Sheikh Hasina is now holding protests abroad and seeking certificates from foreign politicians so that the sentences against her are not carried out if she returns. “When we protested against Khaleda Zia’s imprisonment, the law minister and Obaidul Quader used to say the court runs at its own pace. Why should the same law and court not run at their own pace in Sheikh Hasina’s case?” he said.
Rizvi added that the difference between Tarique Rahman’s speech and Sheikh Hasina’s is clear: one reflects patriotic nationalist spirit, while the other shows a mentality of surrender and subservience.
The meeting was presided over by Zia Parishad’s acting chairman Professor Dr Md Abdul Latif. Other speakers included the organisation’s vice-chairman Dr Mujibur Rahman Hawladar, general secretary Professor Dr Md Emtaz Hossain, and senior joint general secretary Abdullahil Masud.