Four newly appointed members of the BNP’s National Standing Committee on Tuesday pledged to strengthen Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s leadership and help implement the party’s election manifesto.

They made the pledge after paying tribute to Shaheed President and BNP founder Ziaur Rahman and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, the party’s longest-serving chairperson, at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the capital on Tuesday morning.

Newly appointed Standing Committee member Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said the present government would build the country based on the BNP’s political philosophy.

“We are saying this with a little apprehension and joy. We hope that we will try to discharge the responsibility entrusted to us with sincerity. That is why there is both some apprehension and some joy among the four of us. Will we be able to properly discharge our responsibilities?” he said.

Rizvi said all four of them had begun their political journeys during their student days and through student politics.

He said they would perform their responsibilities in the party’s highest policymaking forum while upholding the party’s ideology and philosophy.

“We will play our roles so that the party can be organised, strengthened and taken forward,” he said.

Rizvi said the government had completed six months in office and was working swiftly to fulfil the commitments made before the election.

Amanullah Aman, who also joined the Standing Committee, said they would build a bridge between the party and the people, as well as between the government and the people.

“Tarique and the people’s efforts have restored voting rights and freed the country from fascism,” he said.

Aman said they would continue working sincerely with the people while supporting the government.

“We have pledged that, under the leadership of our Prime Minister, we will implement all his announced programmes, at any cost and through any sacrifice,” he said.

He said the government and the prime minister were working to gain the people’s trust and that they would take forward the trust developed among the party, government and people with full responsibility.

Another new Standing Committee member, Farhad Halim Doner, said Zia’s son Tarique was moving ahead with greater speed than his father had during his three years in office.

“Every commitment he made in the election manifesto has already begun to be implemented. After a new government takes office, it normally takes two or three months to set everything up,” he said.

He said their responsibility now was to take those programmes forward.

The other new entrant into the party’s highest policymaking body, Ismail Zabiullah, said the BNP was the bearer of a long political tradition and that they would successfully fulfil the responsibility entrusted to them.

He said the government had already started implementing the election manifesto.

“If we remain united, we will be able to reach our goal,” he said.

BNP leaders Habib-un-Nabi Khan Sohel and Mir Sarafat Ali Sapu, along with leaders and activists of different BNP-affiliated organisations, were also present.

The four leaders were appointed members of the BNP’s National Standing Committee on August 15.