A mass reception was accorded to National Parliament Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed Bir Bikram by Tazumuddin Upazila BNP in Bhola on Friday (17 April) afternoon.

The reception ceremony was held at the Tazumuddin Upazila Parishad auditorium.

Speaking as the chief guest, Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, said that the example of the Awami League is now before everyone. “The consequences of committing injustice, corruption, looting and terrorism are visible. A six-time Member of Parliament was not even allowed to leave his house. They thought such practices would continue indefinitely, but Allah’s wrath has befallen them,” he said.

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He thanked the student community, saying they had helped pave the way for Bangladesh’s development by removing what he termed a “mafia government.”

Calling on political parties to maintain restraint, the Speaker said factional politics should be avoided and no one should be harassed due to political ideology. He described Jamaat-e-Islami as a polite party that maintains good behaviour in Parliament and said it was once an ally. He also urged BNP and Jamaat to move forward together, saying unity among forces that opposed the “mafia government” must not be broken.

Warning about political division, he said if unity is destroyed, “those from India” may return and attempt to establish a system of plunder again. “We do not want to see such a Bangladesh where people live in fear and cannot sleep peacefully,” he added.

He further said the BNP, as a party in power, carries greater responsibility to reassure the people that it will not engage in looting or money laundering abroad. He also assured that in the future, local government and other elections would be held in a fair manner so that people can exercise their voting rights properly.

Leaders of BNP and its associate bodies presented floral greetings to the Speaker at the programme. Representatives from various professional organisations were also present.