Rizvi made the remarks at a press conference held at the BNP central office in Naya Paltan, Dhaka, on Wednesday (October 22).
“There has been extreme politicization across the country. As a result, many high-ranking officials have had to flee the country,” Rizvi said, adding that while former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina may once have thought her position secure, public sentiment began to shift after August 5. “However, the law-and-order situation has not improved,” he added.
Referring to BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman’s recent speech, Rizvi highlighted several policy pledges, including a commitment to plant 250 million trees if the party returns to power and to protect the environment. He also said the party intends to ensure an independent judiciary and a non-partisan rule of law, and that the prime minister’s tenure would be set at ten years, measures reportedly reflected in Tarique Rahman’s address.
Rizvi warned of ongoing obstacles and conspiracies against the party’s work, and urged that any party affiliates currently serving in government be removed to ensure a fair electoral playing field. “If there are people from our party in the current government, they must be removed,” he said, warning that otherwise free and fair elections would be impossible.
On the timing and conduct of future polls, Rizvi reiterated BNP’s position that national elections should be held impartially under a caretaker government.
Addressing accountability for past atrocities, he said BNP also seeks justice: those accused of crimes against humanity should face trial and punishment under the law. “It will not be possible to hold fair elections while people who committed illegal acts remain in office cooperating with fascists,” Rizvi said.
The press conference reiterated BNP’s priorities of legal and institutional reform, environmental commitments, and demands for an electoral process that the party says will be impartial and credible.
