Zakir Hossain / Dhaka
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) acting chairman Tarique Rahman on Sunday vowed that Bangladesh would “never turn into a haven for extremism or fundamentalism.”
Speaking virtually at a views-exchange meeting with writers and poets at Dhaka’s Jatiya Press Club, Tarique said: “Like you, we are also committed to preventing the return of autocracy, which the people of Bangladesh drove out some days ago.”
The programme, titled The Role and Duties of Poets and Writers in the Transition to Democracy, was organised by the BNP Media Cell. Tarique stressed that while BNP’s ideology may differ from that of writers and poets, “what truly matters is our common and unwavering faith in the sovereignty of the country.”
Calling for unity, he added: “If we want to establish the truth that the ownership of this country belongs only to its citizens, then we must all unite to ensure democracy, freedom of speech and a free, fair and neutral election.” Such a system, he said, would guarantee “freedom of writing, freedom of expression, the right to express differences of opinion and the right to criticism.”
Tarique also sought cooperation from writers and intellectuals, noting that creative minds had long inspired people to speak out against despotic regimes.
BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed praised poets and writers for their role in rights movements and in the struggles against autocracy in 1990 and 2024, urging them to act as a “pressure group” to secure freedom of expression. A number of writers and poets under the Jatiya Kabita Parishad also spoke at the event, emphasising their right to write and express opinions freely.
Tarique Rahman, the eldest son of Bangladesh’s former president Ziaur Rahman and former two-time prime minister Khaleda Zia, widely considered the most likely candidate to lead the next government through Bangladesh’s upcoming national elections.