Dhaka, Nov 13 (IANS) Bangladesh’s Awami League party accused the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government of conspiring to push the people of the country towards an uncertain future, warning that a new form of “mob terrorism” has emerged as an organised “terror tactic”.
Slamming the Yunus regime, the party stated that since these “illegal usurpers” seized power, incidents of murder, rape, theft, robbery, looting, and mugging have sharply increased across the country.
It claimed that the Yunus-led interim government has resorted to “terrorism” as a means to cling to power, leaving citizens with no guarantee of even minimal safety for their lives or property.
“When the state itself becomes the patron of terrorism and acts with terror against its own citizens, there can no longer exist the rule of law or public order characteristic of a civilised and modern state. This is why, under the guise of law and order, even the Chattogram Police Commissioner can casually speak about ‘brush fires’ (summary shootings). For a regime that lacks the people’s mandate, terror and fear become the only means of survival — and that reality is being reflected throughout society and the state,” read a statement issued by the Awami League.
“Although human rights organisations have already expressed grave concern about the rise of terrorism in the country, the government remains completely indifferent. As early as March, a national daily reported that terrorist activities in the country had increased by 6.16 per cent. Following that trend, in October, human rights organisations again voiced alarm over the escalation of state-sponsored and other terrorist activities,” the statement added.
According to the Awami League, extrajudicial killings, murders in custody, and the discovery of unidentified bodies continue to rise unabated in Bangladesh. The party alleged that its leaders and activists are being targeted in a planned manner–killed inside prisons, while outside, “mob terrorism” is being unleashed through attacks, killings, and looting.
The Awami League also condemned the Yunus-led interim government for depriving citizens of democratic rights and carrying out indiscriminate mass arrests of its leaders and activists across Bangladesh.
“By unjustly and unlawfully banning the political activities of the Awami League, they have attempted to silence the democratic voice of the people. At the same time, the machinery of the state is being used in a terrorist manner, like a steamroller, to crush opposition. They are abusing ink and sword indiscriminately to carry out brutal repression,” the Awami League stated.
“Without any cases—or through false and harassing cases—leaders and activists are being indiscriminately arrested in mass numbers and kept detained unjustly for days on end. Instead of upholding the rule of law, the judiciary is being used to fulfill their own desires and ambitions. To realise their illegal aims, they are continuously fabricating plots to defame the Awami League with false accusations,” it added.
–IANS
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