BNP will do whatever necessary to prevent enforced disappearances: Salahuddin

If BNP comes to power through the people’s vote, the party will do whatever is necessary to prevent and eliminate enforced disappearances in the country, BNP Standing Committee Member Salahuddin Ahmed said today (29 August).

“We are fighting for democracy to ensure that no one faces enforced disappearance in the future. As a political activist, I can assure you that if the people give us the opportunity, we will take every step required to prevent and eradicate enforced disappearances,” he said while addressing a discussion organised by Maayer Daak to mark the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances.

The BNP leader further said that the BNP is striving for a Bangladesh where no one will ever have to stand on the streets as a victim of disappearance.

“It is my fortune to be able to speak to you today. Many of my colleagues were not so fortunate,” Salahuddin added.

Criticising the past government, he said they had no remorse for their crimes.

Instead of acknowledging their crimes, they are now “branding those involved in the July Uprising as criminals,” he added.

Salahuddin asked, “Even then, can people invite them back into politics? Will people ever trust them with power?”

Regarding the upcoming election roadmap, Salahuddin said some political parties were trying to create confusion about it and stressed that any doubts or uncertainties should be resolved through dialogue.

“No cracks must be allowed in unity. All confusions and hesitations have to be removed through discussions,” he added.

Recalling his own ordeal after being picked up in 2015, Salahuddin said he had been confined in a small, suffocating cell for 61 days, reports UNB.

He described how he was kept in a filthy five-by-ten-foot room with no ventilation, often blindfolded, and at times told he might be moved to another place without the certainty of survival.

“I prayed to Allah that if I die there, my body be returned to my family. I did not see Allah with my eyes, but I felt His presence,” he added.

Salahuddin mentioned with relief that no new families of victims had joined this year’s commemoration.

“We hope future politicians will ensure that no one ever has to attend such an event again. That is why we continue our struggle,” he said.