BNP to protest if anti-country defence deal signed with India

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has decided in principle to declare protest programmes if a defence deal is signed with India going against country’s interests during prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s upcoming India visit.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the party’s highest policy making body –National Standing Committee held with the BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia in the chair at her Gulshan office on Sunday.

Over one-and-a-half hours long meeting began around 9:30pm.

Two standing committee members wishing anonymity told the Prothom Alo the meeting also decided to announce nationwide agitation programmes soon after the process of reorganising the party is completed in a month.

The meeting also observed that BNP’s candidate in Comilla mayoral elections would have won with a bigger margin if there were no incidents of rigging and intimidation in the election.

Referring to the killing of Chittagong JCD leader, the meeting expressed its concern over the “growing government repression” on the opposition activists and advised that the party should launch street agitation against the “government repression”.

BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said the party will disclose meeting's major decisions at a press conference at its Naya Paltan headquarters at 1:00pm on Monday.

Source: Prothom Alo