Bangladesh Nationalist Party Standing Committee on Wednesday observed that the attack on the National Citizen Party’s rally in Gopalganj was deliberately orchestrated by fascist Awami League cadres and supporters as part of a wider attempt to disrupt the democratic process.

In a meeting held On Wednesday evening at the party’s Gulshan office, chaired by acting chairman Tarique Rahman, the committee condemned the attack, saying that supporters of the fallen fascist Hasina government had planned the assault on the NCP rally, which played a significant role in the anti-fascist movement.

The meeting also discussed concerns that a vested quarter was attempting to sabotage the upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled for February, warning that a concerted effort was underway to destabilise law and order.

It noted a sharp rise in crimes such as murder, robbery, and extortion, and criticised government departments as incompetent and indifferent, urging the authorities to take urgent and effective measures to restore stability.

The standing committee also addressed the recent undignified and obscene remarks made by political opponents in connection with the Midford murder case, criticising attempts to unjustly link BNP to the incident and denouncing personal attacks on late president Ziaur Rahman, BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia and acting chairman Tarique Rahman.

The party warned that such rhetoric was damaging the political environment and could derail the democratic process ahead of the upcoming national elections.

It urged all political parties to exercise restraint and uphold mutual respect to preserve the integrity of democratic discourse.

During the meeting, standing committee member Salah Uddin Ahmed also briefed attendees on the progress of the National Consensus Commission.

The standing committee decided that further discussions on the progress of the reforms agenda would be held on Thursday evening.

BNP standing committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Mirza Abbas, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Abdul Moyeen Khan, Nazrul Islam Khan, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Selima Rahman, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku, Hafiz Uddin Ahmed and AZM Zahid Hossain were present at the meeting.