BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman said, “Please remember my mother Begum Khaleda Zia, my late younger brother Arafat Rahman Koko and all those who sacrificed their lives in the movement for democracy in your prayers.”
He said these things at a prayer meeting organized to mark the death anniversary of Arafat Rahman Koko at Bricklane Mosque in East London on Friday (January 24).
He also said, “The political landscape in Bangladesh has changed after August 5, and there is a possibility of more changes in the future. The expectations of the common people are also increasing. We should all work to fulfill those expectations.”
Referring to the Liberation War, Tarique Rahman said, “In 1971, the freedom fighters fought and liberated our country. Let us remember their sacrifices and pray for them.”
He said, “Since independence, especially after 1990, pray for the leaders and activists of BNP and other opposition parties who have been martyred or disappeared in the fight against authoritarian rule. We must also pray for the common people who have been persecuted and tortured in the last 15 years.”
Tarique Rahman said, “About two thousand people were martyred and more than 30 thousand were injured in the July-August movement. Let us pray for all of them with all our hearts. Our goal will be to create a Bangladesh that will fulfill the expectations of the people.”
UK BNP President MA Malek, General Secretary Qaysar M Ahmed and BNP Standing Committee Member Dr. AZM Zahid Hossain were present at the event.
