Fakhrul rules out possibility of referendum before national election

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said there is no scope for holding a referendum before the national election.

He made the remark on Saturday while speaking at a discussion organized by the Muktijoddha Dal at the National Press Club.

“The current crisis has been created by the interim government,” he said. “There is no opportunity for a referendum before the national election. We urge the government not to deceive the nation with lies.”

Mirza Fakhrul alleged that “a certain quarter is deliberately trying to erase the memory of 1971,” but added that such attempts would fail because “our nation was born in 1971.”

“The anti-Liberation forces are still conspiring. They once called the Liberation War a ‘chaos,’ but the nation has not forgotten that,” he said.

He further said, “If elections had been held within three months of the coup, evil forces couldn’t have reemerged. The 31-point plan outlines reforms, and the next parliament will decide on proportional representation. Calling elections impossible without PR is misleading.”

Fakhrul affirmed that the BNP would “restore democracy by resisting all conspiracies.”

Referring to ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s recent interviews, he said: “Sheikh Hasina is giving interviews to various media outlets from India. We urge the Indian government to send her back — she must face trial upon her return.”