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BNP Acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Friday said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s address to the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly reflected the aspirations of peace-loving people around the world.
Speaking at a protest rally organised by the Nationalist Ulama Dal near Baitul Mukarram in Dhaka, Rizvi said the world should use reason, debate, diplomacy, education and humanity rather than weapons as instruments of change.
Tarique, in his UN address in New York on Thursday, called for conflicts to be resolved through dialogue, diplomatic processes and mutual cooperation. He also said equality, fairness, mutual interests, respect and dignity should form the basis of relations among states.
Rizvi said Tarique represented three generations of his family at the UN. His father, Ziaur Rahman, addressed the General Assembly in 1980, while his mother, Khaleda Zia, addressed it in 1993. Tarique became the third member of the family to address the world body.
Rizvi said the prime minister had reaffirmed Bangladesh’s commitment to respectful relations with all countries and voiced support for an independent Palestinian state. He also highlighted Tarique’s call for the safe return of Rohingyas to Myanmar.
In his UN speech, Tarique said more than 1.2 million forcibly displaced Rohingyas had been living in Bangladesh for more than nine years and called for stronger international support for their safe repatriation.
Rizvi said people around the world wanted peace rather than war, arguing that conflicts drive up the prices of essential goods, food, fuel and gas, while disrupting electricity supplies and industrial production.
He also urged his party supporters not to fear attempts to destabilise the country and said the Nationalist Ulama Dal had organised the rally to protest against those seeking to disrupt Bangladesh’s democratic process.
Rizvi claimed that the BNP government had come to power through a free and fair election and said the government was working for people’s welfare and social protection.
He further said the BNP and its allied organisations would resist what he described as attempts to turn Bangladesh into a “subservient state”.
The BNP leader made the remarks amid continuing political activity following Tarique’s first address to the UN General Assembly, where the prime minister also outlined his government’s three-R strategy of Recovery, Restoration and Reconstruction for Bangladesh.