BNP’s Hafizuddin slams attempts to undermine 1971 legacy

BNP Standing Committee member Hafizuddin Ahmed on Thursday expressed deep frustration over recent attempts to undermine the legacy of the Liberation War and questioned how unelected individuals could even consider altering the Constitution without public endorsement.

Speaking at a discussion hosted by the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB) in Dhaka to honor families of martyrs from the July-August mass uprising, the veteran freedom fighter criticized what he described as a growing effort by some political factions to question the very foundations of Bangladesh’s independence.

“It is painful that a political party which opposed the 1971 Liberation War is now trying to suggest that the nation made a mistake. They want to tear apart the Constitution that was built with our blood in 1972. This is deeply insulting,” Hafizuddin said.

Highlighting his own sacrifice during the war, he added, “I was wounded in 1971. I was young, full of hope. But the Awami League has failed to realize the dreams of the generation that fought for this country.”

The BNP leader warned that such revisionist narratives are being pushed by unelected individuals seeking to reshape the country’s political framework without public mandate. “Nowhere in history have non-elected people been allowed to change a nation’s constitution. This is unprecedented,” he stated.

Hafizuddin lamented that many martyrs and injured citizens from the democracy movement are being forgotten, as political elites continue to use their sacrifices for short-term gains. “People gave their lives not for proportional voting or technical reforms, but for one goal—restoring democracy,” he said.

He criticized the interim government for failing to provide adequate support to those injured or disabled during last year’s pro-democracy movement. “The regime was overthrown through mass sacrifices, but the promises made remain unfulfilled,” he noted.

Addressing the issue of ongoing political reforms, Hafizuddin said, “The only reform that matters is holding free and fair elections under a neutral caretaker government. That’s the foundation of any real democracy.”

He also challenged the idea of importing political ideas from foreign models. “We don’t need to copy systems from the US, UK, or Germany. What we need is a system that our people trust—led by someone who has stood beside them in both good times and bad.”

Criticizing what he called an emerging oligarchic system, Hafizuddin said Bangladesh today is controlled not by the people but by a powerful elite. “This is no longer a republic. It’s a mix of oligarchy and mob rule,” he said, adding that many of the so-called intellectuals pushing political theories from abroad are detached from the realities of rural Bangladesh.

In his remarks, fellow BNP Standing Committee member Dr AZM Zahid Hossain also spoke out against efforts to divide democratic forces. “The people of this country removed Sheikh Hasina’s regime through unity. That unity is now being targeted by conspirators at home and abroad,” he said.

Zahid warned that any delay in holding the national election would be met with public resistance. “People are waiting to vote. Any attempt to stall this will end in failure for those plotting against democracy,” he said.

The speakers reaffirmed BNP’s stance that only a credible, inclusive election under a non-partisan administration can restore public trust and return Bangladesh to democratic governance.