Any attempt to undermine the Liberation War or disrespect freedom fighters will be resisted, State Minister for Liberation War Affairs Ishraque Hossain said today.
“If any party or individual, whoever they may be, acts against the Liberation War or tries to dishonour freedom fighters, another mass uprising will take place if necessary. We will not allow the Liberation War or Bangladesh to be disrespected. If needed, they will be sent to Pakistan,” he said at a meeting with freedom fighters after visiting the Bir Shreshtha Ruhul Amin Memorial Museum in Noakhali.
“We have carried out movements and struggles, and stood before bullets under the direction of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. He is the son of the proclaimer of independence,” he added.
Speaking about the 2024 mass uprising, Ishraque said BNP and like-minded political parties had campaigned shoulder to shoulder for the past 17 years and had endured killings and enforced disappearances.
"Many leaders, including Ilias Ali, were disappeared. Did that not play a role in accelerating and setting the stage for the '24 uprising? It absolutely did. In that movement, the general public of Bangladesh, even children, were not spared. Yet, the people of Bangladesh did not back down," he said.
The state minister further alleged that Bangladesh was turned into a "puppet state" of a neighbouring country over 17 years and said the 2024 uprising was aimed at breaking free from that.
"The children of freedom fighters played a crucial role in this movement. Since July [2024], BNP aligned itself with the student movement and worked to drive it toward its ultimate goal. In this movement alone, 148 designated leaders of Chhatra Dal sacrificed their lives," he said.
Referring to a recent television talk show, he said, "A few days ago, on a talk show with Shamsuzzaman Dudu, Mirpur MP Baten openly said that Pakistan was better. The moment the context of 1971 was raised, he walked away. Yet, Bangladesh was born through the great Liberation War. This is our existence, this is our identity. Through the Liberation War, we achieved an independent territory, a map, a flag, and a sovereign state. There will be no compromise on this."
"Those who opposed the independence of Bangladesh in 1971, raped our mothers and sisters, and worked with the Pakistani occupation forces to kill freedom fighters -- their party is flexing its muscles today," he said.
Among those present were Noakhali-1 lawmaker AM Mahbub Uddin Khokon, Noakhali Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Shafiqul Islam, Superintendent of Police TM Mosharaf Hossain, and local BNP leaders and activists.
