BNP yesterday alleged that the country's rights situation has never been in such a "dreadful state" as it is currently.

Presenting statistics, the party said in last 10 years, cases were filed against 35 lakh people while 104,814 cases were filed against political opponents.

"From 2009 to 2019, 1,526 opposition leaders and activists were killed by the government agencies and ruling party men. At least 423 BNP men have disappeared while the total number [of disappeared persons] is 781," alleged Mirza Fakhrul

Islam Alamgir, secretary general of the party.

Fakhrul was speaking at a seminar at a city hotel. BNP organised the event marking Human Rights Day.

At the programme, Fakhrul along with party leaders unveiled a book titled, "Absence of Democracy and Systematic Human Rights Violations by State Apparatus". The book is a compilation of "human rights violation" incidents that took place in the country between 2009 and October 2019.

BNP leader Sayantha Shakhawat gave a presentation on the book while another party

1,526 killed

FROM PAGE 3

leader Md Asaduzzaman Asad spoke about the country's present rights situation.

It is a matter of regret that even after 49 years of independence, people are being victims of extrajudicial killing and forced disappearance, he said. "A suffocating situation is prevailing in the country where people are being deprived of their rights," he added.

Fakhrul alleged that the government has created a myth surrounding its development projects to fool people. "Only development cannot resolve people's sufferings. If there is no democracy, no development can be sustainable."

The BNP leader urged all to unite to restore democracy.

Party's standing committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury said as the government is not accountable to anyone, they do not care about the country's human rights condition.

“Absence of democracy is the root cause of all problems. Democracy must be restored to come out of this situation," he added.

He also claimed that all the autocratic regimes had created a sense of fear to stay in power and the incumbent government is not an exception.

Among others, former Dhaka University teacher Mahbub Ullah and Conoshasthaya Kendra founder Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury spoke at the seminar, participated by delegates from the US, the UK, Russia, India, European Union and other countries.

During an open discussion, Shah Faisal Kakar, acting high commissioner of Pakistan to Bangladesh, took the floor and raised the issue of Jammu and Kashmir. He demanded that a UN inquiry commission must be established to look into the human rights situation there.

Fakhrul asked Kakar several times to end the speech and at one stage, stopped him abruptly.