<div><b><span style="font-size: 1rem;">BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Tuesday alleged that the government is picking up innocent people and branding them as militants to get the attention of the Western world and India.</span><br></b></div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;“You have seen a few days ago that some ordinary and&nbsp; innocent people were picked up from a locality, which they mentioned as a deep jungle and labeled them as militants,” he said.</div><div><br></div><div>Speaking at a discussion meeting, the BNP leader said the government did it to show that there are militancy and fanatics in Bangladesh. “And only they (AL govt) are needed to suppress the militants. This is their main purpose, this is what they want to show to the Western world and India.</div><div><br></div><div>In fact, he said the current regime and Awami League are militants as they are killing and destroying the common people and taking away all their rights by imposing the tag of terrorism and militancy on them.</div><div><br></div><div>“Yes the people of this country are religious… it is neither&nbsp; a sin nor a crime. The government is trying to make (political) political gains by branding people who practice religion as militants,” he observed.</div><div><br></div><div>A faction of Jatiya Party (Zafar) arranged the discussion at the Institution of the Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh, marking the 8th death anniversary of its founder Kazi Zafar Ahmed.</div><div><br></div><div>Fakhrul said the current government has strongly established the rule of a one-person and one-party by snatching all rights of people and ruining all the institutions. “The existence of our nation now depends on whether we can remove the fascism. “</div><div><br></div><div>He said it is encouraging that people are protesting and waking up against the current fascist regime and 22 people have sacrificed their lives on the streets over the one year.</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader said that the democratic forces must suppress the fascists to establish democracy and a democratic state system.</div><div><br></div><div>He alleged that the government picked up six Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal leaders from a house and showed them arrested with three arms after 48 hours.</div><div><br></div><div>“Those weapons appear to have been hidden under the earth 20/25 years and brought from there that day.&nbsp; This false propaganda is an attempt to fool people. They think people of all countries are fools, but everyone understands that they (govt) want to stay in power by resorting to deception like this,” the BNP leader said.</div><div><br></div><div>Fakhrul also slammed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her Monday's remarks against BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman and the Zia family. “The prime minister who usurped power called Ziaur Rahman's family a killer. I strongly condemn and protest it.”</div><div><br></div><div>He said most opposition political parties are now decided not to join any election under the current Awami League government.</div><div><br></div><div>The BNP leader said the Prime Minister must quit and hand over power to a non-party neutral government by dissolving parliament to pave the way for holding a credible national election and ensuring a democratic process in the country. According to UNB reports</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>