BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Sunday sought cooperation from the international community in restoring democracy and voting rights of people in Bangladesh, and linked it to a resolution of the Rohingya crisis.

Speaking at a seminar focused on solutions to the Rohingya issue, Fakhrul reasoned that an elected government armed with the people’s mandate is necessary for resolving the longstanding Rohingya crisis, as it would enjoy the credibility to work most effectively with the international community.

“This crisis (lack of democracy) doesn’t just affect BNP - it’s now the biggest problem in Bangladesh. No greater crisis has ever come before. I can't speak, can’t get justice, security, healthcare, education...it can't be,” the BNP leader said.

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Referring to a report in the New York Times, he said the newspaper clearly depicted how democratic rights of the people of Bangladesh are being taken away slowly, secretly and silently.

“Through this seminar, I request all international organisations, global community, and also the people to stand by the side of the people of Bangladesh to restore democracy and voting rights,” Fakhrul said.

The country’s largest opposition party arranged the seminar titled “Rohingya Crisis and Repatriation Strategy” at a city hotel, where its Standing Committee Member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury presented the keynote.

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On the Rohingya crisis, Fakhrul said BNP would resolve the problem with the help of the global community once it is elected by the people's votes.

He said the Awami League government does not have the strength to raise its voice internationally and convince the global community to resolve the crisis and mount pressure on Myanmar to take Rohingya back with dignity since it lacks people’s mandate. “So, the Rohingya problem cannot be resolved unless this government is removed.”

The BNP leader said they arranged the seminar on the Rohingya issue as they are worried over the repeated incidents of violence and firing at the Rohingya camps. “It is a matter of great concern not only for us, but also for the international community, whether extremism is emerging in the Rohingya camp area."

The BNP Secretary General said they believe that if a people's government can be established with the support of the people, this problem will be settled quickly.

"That's why we want to remove this usurper regime and establish a people's government through an election under a truly impartial non-partisan government,” he said.

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In his keynote speech, Khosru said, “We firmly believe that the ongoing humanitarian tragedy demands sustainable and meaningful action. The continued lack of progress in repatriating the Rohingya community, despite six years having passed since the genocidal clearance operation, is deeply concerning and unacceptable. The fact remains that not a single Rohingya refugee could be repatriated till date.”

After a failed repatriation agreement in 2017, he said Myanmar has now agreed to accept the return of 1,176 Rohingyas under a new agreement, to what the Myanmar junta claims are model villages in Maungdaw township, as part of a pilot repatriation project.

“We perceive this new repatriation attempt as a trap, which will only perpetuate the persecution faced by one of the world's forgotten minorities,” Khosru said.

He recounted that BNP had dealt with the Rohingya crisis twice, during its tenures in the late 1970s and early 1990s. “On both occasions, our party succeeded in creating remarkable diplomatic pressure upon the Myanmar military regimes to repatriate the Rohingyas.”

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“Should BNP assume power, resolving the Rohingya crisis will be our top national and foreign policy priority, focusing on finding a permanent solution to this complex crisis,” Khosru said.

He also said a legitimate government armed with the people’s mandate, accountable to the people, is a must to engage all the international stakeholders to ensure a permanent solution to the crisis.