Govt Has No Bar for BNP to Hold Peaceful Protests: Home Min

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on Sunday said that the law enforcement agencies will not restrict the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) if they carry on their programmes in a systematic way.

The minister was speaking to journalists after attending a meeting at the Secretariat on law and order situation during the National Mourning Day on August 15.

“BNP is a political party. They have their own strategies. It’s up to them whether they’ll participate in the next general elections or not. But we won’t let them to block the roads or damage peoples’ lives and properties,” said Kamal.

Kamal added that the fact that the government isn’t interrupting BNP’s activities in front of the Press Club shows that the government has no objection to peaceful political activities.

“The people will decide whether they’ll listen to BNP’s call to come to the streets or not. The way the country is moving forward indicates that the people won’t go back to darkness,” added Kamal.

According to the minister, security will be beefed up in Dhanmondi and Banani areas of the capital on August 15 as important persons including the prime minister and foreign diplomats will move on the day.

“Even the mausoleum of Father of The Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in Gopalganj will be covered in security blanket. A large number of police will be deployed across the country while the Detective Branch (DB) of police will also ramp up its surveillance. We won’t let anyone to carry out any subversive activities,” Kamal said.