DHAKA, Dec 20, (V7N) — BNP Standing Committee member Mirza Abbas has alleged that "anti-national forces" are behind the killing of Sharif Osman Hadi, claiming the assassination was a deliberate attempt to destabilize the country ahead of the homecoming of BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman. Speaking at a preparatory meeting of the Dhaka Metropolitan South BNP at the Sadeque Hossain Khoka Community Center in Gopibagh on Saturday, Abbas stated that the "defeated forces" of 1971 have once again emerged to incite violence and hinder the path toward democracy.

Mirza Abbas remarked that those who opposed Bangladesh’s independence have never wanted peace and are now "baring their teeth" through systematic killings and anarchy. "If necessary, the people will give a fitting response to these conspirators, just as we did in 1971," he declared. He further clarified that the BNP does not subscribe to the politics of "murder, chaos, or mob justice," and criticized the government for allegedly rejecting the BNP’s offer of cooperation, choosing instead to associate with "evil forces" to the detriment of the nation.

The senior leader emphasized that the restoration of democracy is inextricably linked to the return of Tarique Rahman, scheduled for December 25. He asserted that undemocratic forces cannot withstand the tide of a democratic movement and called for immediate national elections. "Democracy will truly return only when Tarique Rahman is back on the soil of this country," Abbas told the party activists, urging them to remain vigilant against ongoing plots to snatch away the rights achieved through the July Uprising.

END/SMA/AJ