Prime Minister Tarique Rahman still bears the scars of torture he suffered during the 1/11 regime, said his Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Rumon on Wednesday.
“He was arrested without a warrant and subjected to inhuman torture. He still carries the marks of that torture,” Rumon said while speaking at a discussion organised by the Uttaranchal Chhatra Forum at the Jatiya Press Club, marking Tarique Rahman’s 18th jail release anniversary.
He said Tarique Rahman, also BNP Chairman, does not want to dwell on those painful memories or seek revenge for what happened to him.
“Our leader himself has said that he does not want to remember those days. If we keep those memories alive and seek revenge, it will not end even in five years,” Rumon said.
He said spending the next five years seeking revenge will prevent the government from fulfilling the aspirations of the people who elected Tarique Rahman as prime minister.
“Our leader Tarique Rahman wants to leave those painful memories behind and move forward with the development of the country,” the additional press secretary said.
He urged BNP leaders and activists to remain alert to conspiracies aimed at tarnishing Tarique Rahman’s image and to work together to make his initiatives successful.
Rumon said conspiracies were launched at home and abroad to defame Tarique Rahman when BNP was in power in the past.
“We must remain alert to these conspiracies so that the good work of our leader is not undermined,” he said.
The additional press secretary also recalled the difficulties faced by BNP activists in organising Tarique Rahman’s prison release anniversary programmes during the previous regime. “The situation today is not the same as it was during those difficult days,” he said.
He said BNP leaders and activists had faced intimidation, arrest and various forms of repression while organising the programmes at that time, but they did not remain silent.
“We informed journalists and trusted leaders of our programmes. We often organised them secretly and informed journalists only two or three hours beforehand,” Rumon said, recalling the support provided by journalists at the time.
Tarique Rahman was arrested by the joint forces of the 1/11 government on March 7, 2007. He was released on bail on September 3, 2008, following a High Court order.
The main speaker at the discussion was BNP acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi.
People are the source of all power
Rumon said the people of Bangladesh have repeatedly demonstrated that they are the source of all political power.
“The people proved it during the Liberation War in 1971. They removed the autocratic Ershad regime and the 1/11 government. Most recently, students, people and various political parties united during the July uprising and removed the autocratic Sheikh Hasina government,” he said.
The additional press secretary urged leaders and activists of BNP, Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal and Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal to work shoulder to shoulder to ensure the success of Tarique's initiatives.
State Minister for Land and Adviser to the Uttaranchal Chhatra Forum Barrister Mir Mohammed Helal Uddin, Dhaka district Jubo Dal convener Nazmul Hasan, Amra BNP Poribar member secretary Moksedul Momin Mithun and student leaders from northern Bangladesh also spoke at the programme with Rumon in the chair.