Abdul Hannan Masud Announces Boycott of July Declaration Event at Midnight

Abdul Hannan Masud, Central Coordinator of NCP. Photo: Collected

Abdul Hannan Masud, the Central Coordinator of the National Citizen Party (NCP), has announced his decision to boycott the July Declaration event. He shared this decision in a Facebook post at 2 a.m. on Monday (August 4).

In his post, Abdul Hannan Masud wrote, “I received an invitation card for tomorrow’s (August 5) July Declaration event. I’ve heard that this government couldn’t invite the legitimate body of 158 coordinators and co-coordinators of the July uprising. Perhaps they’ve arranged a limited number of seats, but there won’t be enough space for all 158. I don’t know if there will be room for the families of martyrs. Those whose courage and leadership made this uprising and this government possible have become insignificant within a year.”

He further stated, “My comrades, who fearlessly led the movement to overthrow Hasina, and the families of all martyrs deserve their due respect. If they do not receive it, I, Abdul Hannan Masud, personally announce my boycott of tomorrow’s July Declaration program.” He concluded his post with, “#Loud_And_Clear.” Meanwhile, five top leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, will attend the July Declaration event. This was confirmed by Shairul Kabir Khan, a member of BNP’s media cell, on Monday. The other attendees include BNP Standing Committee members Mirza Abbas, Dr. Abdul Moyeen Khan, Nazrul Islam Khan, and Salahuddin Ahmed. On Monday night, a meeting of BNP’s highest policymaking body, the Standing Committee, was held at the party’s chairperson’s office in Gulshan, Dhaka. The meeting, chaired virtually by BNP’s Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, began at 8:30 p.m. and concluded at 10:30 p.m. Earlier on Monday afternoon, in a virtual speech as the chief guest at an event in the capital, Tarique Rahman said, “Development politics, creating employment opportunities at home and abroad, and ensuring a safe work environment are among the main goals of our politics. To implement our plans, we need the support of the entire nation and the people’s mandate for BNP. We believe the people are the source of all our political strength. If BNP is entrusted with running the state through the people’s mandate, we will begin implementing these plans as swiftly as possible.” He urged party activists to present these plans to the people of the country. Tarique Rahman added, “To live healthily, environmental and ecological balance is crucial, and there’s no escaping it. To maintain this balance, our goal, Inshallah, is to plant 250-300 million trees in five years. These trees will not only protect the environment but also safeguard Bangladesh from floods and droughts.”

He further noted, “For the past 17 years, the people of this country have struggled for their political rights and freedom of expression. The oppression and torture they faced are evident from the presence of martyrs’ families at this gathering. Over the past 15 years, not just BNP workers but people from various professions have faced persecution from that fugitive dictator for raising their voices and demanding their rights. We want to truly honor all martyrs and those who survived persecution. The only way to honor their sacrifices is to move forward, take the country ahead, and fulfill the expectations they had when they took to the streets.”