Tarique pledges new Liberation War ministry wing for July fighters if BNP comes to power

Highlights: 

• Tarique Rahman pledges new department for July fighters, families of martyrs if BNP comes to power
• Says failure to build democratic Bangladesh will result in continued mourning assemblies
• Adds that July Uprising was citizens' movement, not tied to any party, ideology or religion
• Stresses that free, fair polls are crucial for safe, democratic Bangladesh 

BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman has pledged that the party will set up another department within the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs responsible for taking care of July fighters and the families of July martyrs if it comes to power.

To uphold the honour and dignity of the freedom fighters of the 1971 Liberation War, the BNP government under the leadership of Begum Khaleda Zia established the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs in 2001, Tarique noted while speaking at a dialogue with the families of martyrs and the injured of the 2024 July Uprising this morning (18 January).

If the BNP forms government again through the people's mandate in the upcoming election, slated for 12 February, it will create a separate department under the ministry to ensure advanced medical treatment and rehabilitation for those injured in the July Uprising, as well as to look after the families of July martyrs, he added.

Tarique said if efforts to establish a safe and democratic Bangladesh fail, people will have to continue holding mourning assemblies and commemorative events in the future. "So instead of just mourning, let us write the victory story of democracy in a democratic Bangladesh," he added.

Tarique said if efforts to establish a safe and democratic Bangladesh fail, people will be forced to continue holding mourning rallies and writing elegies in the future. "No more mourning rallies; let us instead write the victory song of democracy in a democratic Bangladesh."

He likened the July martyrs and fighters to freedom fighters, saying, "Just as the freedom fighters achieved the country's independence in 1971, the July fighters of 2024 protected the nation's independence and sovereignty."

Talking about the separate wing under the Liberation War ministry, the BNP chief said, "We cannot bring back anyone's lost loved ones, but the state has a responsibility to alleviate the suffering of their families."

He went on to say that over more than 15 years, thousands of people were subjected to enforced disappearances, killings and torture in anti-fascist movements. 

"In the July Uprising alone, more than 1,500 people were martyred and nearly 30,000 were injured. Many have suffered permanent disabilities. This massacre can rightly be called a mass killing."

The 2024 uprising was not a movement of any particular party or group; it was a mass movement carried out by ordinary citizens irrespective of party, ideology or religion, he added. 

The aim of the uprising was to secure the political and economic rights of the people, Tarique said.

Highlighting the importance of the upcoming election, the BNP chairman said free and fair polls are essential to building a safe and democratic Bangladesh. 

He vowed that if the BNP assumes governance through the people's mandate, promises made to the martyrs and the injured will be implemented gradually.

Concluding his speech, Tarique prayed for the salvation of the souls of the martyrs and the speedy recovery of the injured.

BNP Standing Committee Member Nazrul Islam Khan chaired the event at the Krishibid Institution Bangladesh in Dhaka, while Tarique was the chief guest. Senior BNP leaders, including Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, were also present.

'My son's killers are before my eyes, yet still not arrested'

Speaking at the event, Jartaj Parvin Safaq, the mother of a July martyr, said her son Shafiq Uddin Ahmed Ahnaf's killers are moving freely "in front of my eyes" but have yet to be arrested.

She said her trust in the interim government has been shattered. "The hope with which the interim government was formed has not been fulfilled." 

Jartaj mentioned that her son died after being shot while participating in the movement in Mirpur-10 on August 4.