Mirza Fakhrul warns of possible repeat attacks following the Hadi incident

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Sunday warned that further violent incidents similar to the recent attack on Sharif Osman Hadi could take place at a time when the country is heading towards a new democratic phase.

Speaking to journalists after paying tribute to the martyred intellectuals at the Martyred Intellectuals Memorial in Mirpur on Sunday morning (14 December), Fakhrul said renewed efforts were underway to derail Bangladesh’s democratic path.

“Bangladesh is moving towards a new chapter and a new dawn. People aspire to build a democratic state through free and fair elections. At such a critical moment, the enemies of Bangladesh have once again resorted to killings,” he said.

Referring to the attack on Inqilab Mancha convener and prospective independent candidate for Dhaka-8, Sharif Osman Hadi, Fakhrul said the BNP had strongly condemned the incident and feared that similar attacks could follow.

“We have strongly condemned the incident that occurred the day before yesterday, and we are concerned that such acts may be repeated,” he added.

Recalling the events of December 1971, Fakhrul said that as the defeat of the Pakistani occupation forces became imminent and Dhaka was encircled by Liberation War fighters, the occupation army—assisted by local collaborators—abducted and killed the country’s leading intellectuals, including university teachers, doctors, researchers, writers, journalists and cultural figures.

“This was a calculated massacre intended to cripple the nation intellectually. We lost some of our brightest minds in that conspiracy,” he said.

Drawing parallels with recent political violence, Fakhrul noted that Bangladesh had witnessed the mass killing of its youth in 2024 and warned that renewed violence at this juncture could jeopardise the country’s democratic aspirations.

On behalf of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, who is currently ill, and Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, Fakhrul said party leaders had visited the memorial to pay their respects and reaffirm their commitment to protecting Bangladesh’s independence, sovereignty and democratic progress.

“We have pledged that, at any cost, we will safeguard Bangladesh’s independence and sovereignty and continue the democratic journey,” he said, paying tribute to all those who sacrificed their lives for the nation’s freedom and democracy, including BNP founder and former president Ziaur Rahman.