Militants, extremists will take advantage if elections are delayed, says Mirza Fakhrul

The BNP leader says murder, injury, and rape are reaching extremes

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said if the general elections are held late, the “fascist” forces will rise again.

Speaking at an Iftar organised by two organisations of journalists at the National Press Club on Sunday, he said militants and extremists, along with fascist forces, will try to take advantage of the vote being held late.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who is visiting Bangladesh amid reform initiatives and demands for national elections, met with members of the National Consensus Commission and seven political parties, including the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami, on Saturday.

The BNP leader said elections would be held once the necessary reforms are implemented swiftly.

Fakhrul said: “We saw in the past that the longer elections are delayed, the more opposing forces—fascist forces—will rise will rise to challenge the pro-Bangladesh forces.

“Not only them, but also those with militant and extremist attitudes will attempt to exploit these opportunities.

“We have come out of a terrible, monstrous environment. We have to be a little patient.

“As soon as we open the pages of the newspaper, we are upset—killings, murders, injuries, rapes—everything is reaching such extremes, and they are oppressing all of us.

“On the other hand, we see the young generation, our students are becoming intolerant.

“Various institutions, organisations, and their workers are coming out to the field with their demands.”

Arguing in favour of holding early national elections, Fakhrul said: “The sooner the elections are held, the sooner the people’s representatives come to parliament.

“They will manage the country and we will be able to carry out all the other necessary reforms together.”

The Iftar was organised by a joint initiative of the Federal Union of Journalists and a section of the Dhaka Union of Journalists.