Ousted fascists’ continue anti-national activities, BNP says after Yunus incident
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has condemned the alleged harassment of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus by Awami League activists at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport on Monday, accusing the ousted party of continuing its “anti-national activities” despite being out of power.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, BNP Acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said the incident reflected what he described as the lack of remorse among former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s supporters who had fled Bangladesh.
Rizvi alleged that individuals acting at Hasina’s behest attempted to harass Yunus, who served as chief adviser to Bangladesh’s interim government following the July–August 2024 mass uprising.
“The harassment of Dr Yunus by Sheikh Hasina’s henchmen reflects the lack of remorse among the ousted fascists who fled Bangladesh and their continued anti-national activities,” Rizvi said.
He said the incident was an expression of Hasina’s alleged vindictiveness, adding that Yunus had been targeted because he led the interim government formed after the mass uprising.
Rizvi noted that Yunus was both the former chief adviser to the interim government and a Nobel laureate recognised internationally. He said the alleged misconduct at the airport had not only disrespected Yunus but also damaged Bangladesh’s image abroad.
Referring to the Awami League’s tenure in power, Rizvi alleged that the country had experienced enforced disappearances, killings and secret assassinations. He claimed that individuals associated with the previous government’s alleged abuses had spread across different locations in Bangladesh and abroad.
The BNP leader said the airport incident reinforced the perception that the Awami League’s alleged vindictive attitude had not changed nearly two years after it was ousted from power.
He further accused Hasina of continuing to incite party activists at home and abroad and of encouraging various forms of violence in Bangladesh.
Rizvi concluded by condemning what he described as the disrespectful behaviour towards Yunus at JFK Airport.