BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman on Monday said conspiracies against Bangladesh’s independence and sovereignty are still continuing, warning that aggressive forces and their local collaborators are trying to undermine the country’s democracy and freedom through various means.

In a post on his verified Facebook account on the occasion of Victory Day, he said although Bangladesh was liberated from enemy occupation on December 16, 1971, anti-democratic forces have remained active in jeopardising the nation’s democratic journey.

Recalling the nine-month-long bloody Liberation War, Tarique Rahman said Bangladesh achieved Victory on December 16, 1971, and emerged as an independent state through immense sacrifice. He paid deep respect to the martyred freedom fighters and prayed for the salvation of their departed souls, also honouring the mothers and sisters who made sacrifices for independence.

He said the journey of independent Bangladesh began with the aspiration of building a multi-party democratic state based on social justice and a society free from exploitation. However, that aspiration has repeatedly been obstructed by fascist rule, he alleged.

The BNP leader further accused successive regimes of holding one-sided elections, curtailing citizens’ rights and shrinking freedom of speech and the media.

Tarique Rahman said the exercise of absolute power in a democracy-free system creates fear, frustration and chaos in society. To cling to power, he alleged, oppression, enforced disappearances and politically motivated cases were used to suppress dissent.

He also said an undisputed leader who had long struggled for democracy was unjustly kept in prison. However, inspired by the spirit of Victory Day, the fascist regime eventually fell through the July–August 2024 student–people’s movement founded on national unity, he added.

In this context, Tarique Rahman stressed the need to hold a free, fair and credible election to establish a welfare-oriented and accountable government. He said people must stand beside one another, setting aside division and hatred, to build a discrimination-free Bangladesh.

On the occasion of Victory Day, he extended greetings to the people at home and abroad and wished success of all programmes taken to mark the day.