All must join hands to maintain law and order: Tarique Rahman after return to Bangladesh

Dhaka: Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) acting chairman Tarique Rahman on Thursday called on countrymen to join hands to maintain law and order, in his first address to party supporters hours after his arrival in Dhaka after a gap of 17 years. 

“Whatever political party we belong to, whatever religion we believe in, whether we are non-partisan individuals -- all must join hands to maintain law and order,” he told thousands of party supporters gathered at the July 36 Expressway in the capital, where he went straight after arriving at the airport.

Rahman's call for maintaining law and order came amid a fresh wave of unrest and political instability gripping Bangladesh following the killing of prominent youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi, who was a prominent face in last year's mass protests that forced the collapse of the Sheikh Hasina government.

Rahman, the 60-year-old son of ailing former prime minister Khaleda Zia, has emerged as a leading contender for prime ministership in the polls.

Referring to a popular quote from US civil rights activist Martin Luther King “I Have a dream”, Rahman said, “I have a plan for the people of my country and for my country,” state-owned Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha reported. 

“This plan is for the interest of the people, for the development of the country, for changing the lot of the country. To implement the plan, I need the support of all the people of the country. If you stand beside us, God willing, we will be able to implement my plan,” Rahman added.  

He said he wants to make a safe Bangladesh where people irrespective of castes, creeds and faiths can live in a peaceful environment, the report said. 

“We have people from the hills and the plains in this country – Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Christians. We want to build a safe Bangladesh, where every woman, man and child can leave home safely and return safely,” he said. 

Rahman’s call for unity came as Jamaat-e-Islami, the BNP's coalition partner during its 2001-2006 tenure in power, has emerged as its main rival in the upcoming polls after the interim government blocked Awami League's participation under the country's tough Anti-Terrorism Act.

He urged people to pray for her ailing mother and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, whom he was going to meet at the Evercare hospital in Dhaka after leaving the venue. 

Zia, a three-time prime minister, has been undergoing treatment at the intensive care unit (ICU) at the hospital.

BNP emerged as the forerunner to capture power in the February polls, as former prime minister Hasina's Awami League party has been barred from contesting the election.