Deputy Speaker of the Parliament Barrister Kayser Kamal on Monday ruled out any reconciliation with the ousted regime, saying its "criminal, inhuman, and ruthless actions" against its own citizens have permanently disqualified it from Bangladesh's political future.

"Let me be absolutely unequivocal: there is no room for reconciliation with the ousted regime," Kamal said, warning that entertaining such an idea would push the country towards conflict with "severe and unimaginable consequences."

He was speaking at the closing day of the Bay of Bengal Conversation 2026, in a session titled "Justice, Accountability, and National Reconciliation," held at a city hotel. The event was curated by the Centre for Governance Studies (CGS).

Kayser Kamal said the perpetrators were now trying to regain political relevance through "sporadic acts of terrorism," while some schools of thought at home and abroad were advocating on their behalf under the guise of reconciliation.

Drawing on transitions elsewhere, including post-conflict Eastern Europe and post-apartheid South Africa, he said reconciliation often fails when it is used as a political veil to shield perpetrators of state violence from legal consequences.

"National reconciliation without justice is not peace, it is simply a pause between conflicts," he said.

Describing the events of August 5, 2024 as "a fundamental redefining of our political paradigm" rather than a mere change of administration, the Deputy Speaker said citizens had rejected a regime built on fear, patronage and suppression of civil liberties.

He said the regime had disregarded the rule of law and treated killing people as a legitimate means of keeping an autocrat in power.

The July uprising alone claimed 1,600 lives, he said, citing UN fact-finding reports, adding that 12 to 13 percent of the dead were children.

The young generation, he said, fought for democratic dignity, fundamental rights and a "new Bangladesh" where every citizen is treated equally and perpetrators are brought to justice.

Such justice, he said, is not only for punishment but also to set a precedent so that "no one would ever dare to construct another authoritarian regime" in the country.

Turning to the government's own responsibilities, Kayser Kamal said its legitimacy derives solely from transparency and its willingness to face relentless public scrutiny.

"We cannot ask for the public's trust without first proving our strict adherence to the rule of law," he said, stressing that the justice mechanism must operate entirely independently of political influence.

"We must not act as yes-men, but as custodians of the people's will," he added.

On Bangladesh's international standing, the Deputy Speaker said the country was working for economic stability and reclaiming its dignity abroad as an independent and sovereign nation.

"We will no longer ask for a chair to sit at someone's desk or table; instead, we will build our own table and invite others to sit," he said.

He said Bangladesh was laying the foundations of resilient institutions capable of withstanding the ambitions of tyrants, "acutely aware of the heavy price paid for them on our streets."

The Deputy Speaker thanked the organisers for convening the dialogue and said he looked forward to taking part in future editions.