Photo: Collected
BNP senior leader Mirza Abbas on Monday hailed Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus for his remarks on the upcoming parliamentary election. "I did not hear the Chief Advisor's speech... I learned from you. He rightly said that if those who will participate in the election and the stakeholders want it, he will hold the election at a reasonable time. I appreciate him,” he told reporters after paying tribute to Ziaur Rahman on the occasion of the Victory Day.
He said reform is not a new concept, as it is a continuous process that will persist through the ages. “Reform is not a sudden matter. It is not a package that you can complete in one go. Reforms are required according to the demands and changes of time,” the BNP leader said.
He expressed the hope that the interim government would restore voting rights as soon as possible. “This is our desire,” he added. Earlier in the day, Chief Adviser Prof Dr Muhammad Yunus said that the 13th parliamentary election might be scheduled for the end of 2025 or the first half of 2026.
"Broadly speaking, the election could be scheduled between the end of 2025 and the first half of 2026," he said in a televised speech to the nation on Monday morning.
Dr Yunus reiterated his appeal for the completion of all major reforms. Abbas, accompanied by party leaders and workers, placed wreaths at Ziaur Rahman’s grave to pay homage on the occasion of Victory Day.
Earlier, BNP leaders and workers, led by party Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, paid tribute to the martyrs of the 1971 Liberation War at the National Memorial in Savar, marking the 54th Victory Day.
Later, the BNP Secretary General fell ill amid the large crowd of leaders and activists present there. He was rushed to Savar Combined Military Hospital (CMH).
Fakhrul returned to his Gulshan residence after receiving treatment there for two hours.
Messenger/JRTarek
