Govt intolerant of dissent: Fakhrul

BNP acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has alleged that the Awami League-led government has become too intolerant of any dissent.

“The situation has reached such an extent that a case is filed for making any comment against this government,” Fakhrul said this at a press conference on Wednesday.

The media call was convened at the party’s Naya Paltan headquarters to give its reaction to the arrest warrant issued earlier in the day against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia's elder son Tarique Rahman in a libel suit.

Fakhrul said, “Today an arrest warrant has been issued against Tarique in another case. From this it has become apparent that whenever a movement against the government gets momentum, it resorts to this tactics of filing case."

Claiming that the government’s such strategy would not work, the BNP spokesperson said foiling all cases and attacks, people through mass movement would compel holding of early election under a non-partisan government.

“The state is violating the human rights of its citizens. This illegitimate government is using security forces to kill, abduct, attack and file cases depriving basic democratic rights of the people,” he said in relation to the International Human Rights Day observed on Wednesday.