<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">BNP’s Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed said that the countdown for the downfall of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government has begun.</span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">“Various pro-democracy parties have joined forces to make he ongoing one-point movement successful. It is certain that she [Sheikh Hasina can no longer remain in power,” he said while speaking as the chief guest at a scholarship award ceremony organized by the Ziaur Rahman Foundation in Khulna on Friday.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He accused the prime minister of misleading foreign nations by claiming to have conducted free and fair elections in the country for the past 14 years.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Sheikh Hasina had resorted to deceitful tactics, depriving the people of their rights by manipulating the voting process both during the day and at night,” he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Furthermore, he alleged that the government, under pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), was forced to reveal reserves of 23.7 million dollars, which had subsequently been depleted through corrupt practices.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Rizvi claimed that the administration's actions had destroyed the economy and effectively brought an end to democracy. He also mentioned that banks had stopped opening Letters of Credit (LCs), further exacerbating the economic crisis.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Rizvi went on to criticize Obaidul Quader, the general secretary of the ruling Awami League, for organizing a peace rally akin to what he said the Peace Committee of '71. In contrast, he highlighted the BNP's rally in Naya Paltan, which saw a significant turnout within a short span of two to three days.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“During the rally, Sheikh Hasina's cousin, DSCC Mayor Tapas, had confidently proclaimed their intention to seize control of Dhaka in the upcoming January elections, revealing their true intentions,” said Rizvi.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Expressing his concern over the current state of the country, Rizvi remarked that Bangladesh was in the midst of an extreme crisis, with a pervasive atmosphere of fear prevailing in society.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He also opined that if the people truly owned the country, the political landscape would be vastly different. UNB</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh&nbsp;</div>