No 'visible achievement' for Bangladesh from PM's India visit: Fakhrul

There is no "visible achievement" of Bangladesh from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to India except the the Kushiyara River water sharing MoU, said BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

"We have not seen any other visible achievement of Bangladesh in this visit so far but 53 cusecs of water from the River Kushiyara," he said on Friday while talking to the media after paying homage to BNP founder Ziaur Rahman by placing a wreath at his grave along with the leaders and activists of Jatiyatabadi Mohila Dal, marking its 44th founding anniversary.

Stating that a defence contract worth $500 million has been signed to buy military vehicles from India, the BNP leader said it has been assured that border killings will be brought to zero level.
  
"On the day this was said, one person was killed at the Dinajpur border and two others remained missing. This's the outcome," he added.

Fakhrul said though there was no fruitful outcome from the visit, the ruling party leaders are highlighting their love for India.

"The government has become desperate (to stay in power). You must remember that before this visit, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said he had requested the Indian leaders to take measures to keep the Awami League government in power by any means possible," he said.

He further said their party believes that all the democratic countries will play their role in upholding democracy and establishing people's rights around the world. 

"India is our good friend and a democratic country. We believe that India will also keep its democratic character intact," he said.

Fakhrul slammed the government for attacking their party's peaceful programmes across the country and implicating their leaders and activists in "false" and "fictitious" cases.

"False cases were filed against many of our leaders and workers over the last few weeks. Fictitious cases are also being filed against us as they did in the past. You know that already three of our leaders have been killed," he said.

Referring to his Thursday's visit to Popular Hospital to see Shrabon, a 14-year-old bullet-hit leader of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal's Kishireganj unit, the BNP leader said, the boy's lung, liver and kidney were affected by bullets. "He is vomiting blood…doctors are trying their best to save his life."

Besides, he said, many leaders and workers of BNP and its associate bodies have lost their eyesight while many others have sustained various injuries and became maimed. "They (govt) have again unleashed a reign of terror all over the country. I would like to say no one can hang onto power by resorting to terror acts."

Reacting to the law minister's comment that BNP's programmes will not be obstructed if it does not resort to violence, Fakhrul said, "BNP does not believe in terrorism and engage in terror acts…the cadres of Chhatra League and Jubo League have attacked peaceful programmes of democracy-loving people. We strongly condemn it. We'll defeat them with the power of the people."

6 injured in Awami League-BNP clash in Laksam, Cumilla

There have been clashes between the activists of BNP and Awami League centring BNP's protest march and rally In Cumilla's Laksam, leaving at least six persons injured.

Local BNP leaders said the Laksam upazila BNP called for a protest march and rally as part of the central programme at Abul Kalam High School in the upazila on Friday but Awami League leaders and activists blocked BNP from coming to this programme.

BNP Central Industrial Affairs Secretary Abul Kalam led the protest march.