Bangladesh Nationalist Party-BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said, “The process of transitioning to democracy through elections in Bangladesh has the support of the whole world.”
He made these comments in response to a question from journalists at the terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport after returning home from a visit to the United States on an Emirates Airlines flight on Friday (October 3) night.
Mirza Fakhrul said, “Our message is the same – we have to return to democracy now. We are preparing for the elections to be held in February as instructed by our leader Mr. Tarique Rahman.”
He also said, “Today, this issue of transitioning to democracy has the support of the whole world. Especially the support of the democratic world is here completely.”
BNP Secretary General is attending the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly on September 23 with Chief Advisor Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus. Although the chief advisor returned home on October 2, Mirza Fakhrul returned home a day later after attending a party function.
The chief advisor’s delegation also included BNP acting chairman’s advisor Humayun Kabir, Jamaat-e-Islami’s Nayeb-e-Amir Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher, NCP member secretary Akhtar Hossain and joint convener Tasneem Zara.
When asked about meeting representatives of different countries at the UN session, Mirza Fakhrul said, “We have talked to everyone. It is natural to talk to those who have gone.”
Regarding the UN visit, he further said, “At the invitation of the honorable chief advisor, we accompanied the delegation to the 80th session of the UN General Assembly and fulfilled our duties. I think our visit was successful.”
He added, “This is the first time that the chief advisor of the interim government has invited several major political parties to demonstrate national unity. In that respect too, the visit has been very successful. Bangladesh’s word has reached the world.”
Regarding other meetings besides the UN session, the BNP Secretary General said, “We think that the meetings held in New York alongside the UN General Assembly session have been very positive for Bangladesh and for democracy as a whole.”
When asked about the harassment incident after landing at the New York airport, Mirza Fakhrul said, “We do not make a big deal out of these incidents. It is a culture of the Awami League—it is their nature to create such incidents.”
