'Govt Must Take Strong Stand Against Border Killings'

“We must send a strong diplomatic message to stop border killings,” said National Citizen Party spokesperson Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan. He said, “Killings along the border have suddenly increased. The government must take a strong position on this issue. It must raise questions with the Indian government. The ambassador should be summoned and asked to explain why border killings are increasing.”

Asif made the remarks at a press conference Sunday afternoon at the party’s temporary office in Banglamotor. During the event, the party announced candidates for 100 upazilas and municipalities.

Asif Mahmud said, “We are working on the local government elections. But the government has not provided any clear roadmap. We have not received any timeframe regarding how the elections will be held. It has also not said when the city corporation and upazila council elections will take place. They are saying ‘very soon’. But ‘very soon’ could also mean five years. We are demanding a clear timeline.”

He added, “The BNP practiced politics in the name of democracy for the past 18 years. Yet after coming to power, it strangled democracy. We previously demanded neutrality in elections as well. Administrators who have been appointed should not be allowed to contest elections while holding those positions. If they participate, the election will become completely controversial and one-sided.”

The NCP spokesperson said, “The measles situation in the country continues to worsen. We believe everyone must quickly identify this as a national crisis and come forward to address it. Instead of debating who is more responsible and who is less responsible, we must work together to move this effort forward. Authorities should also properly investigate who is behind the rise in measles and whose irregularities contributed to it.”

He said the government talks about ‘Bangladesh first’, but remains silent on border killings and fails to take action. “At that point, we feel that ‘Bangladesh first’ is only a slogan for them, because we do not see it reflected in their actions,” he added.

The former adviser also said he is seeing ‘bulldozers’ after the election in West Bengal. “Brutal attacks and violence are taking place against Muslims there. We stand with those facing communal violence and those being oppressed by an extremist force,” he said.