Former state minister for home affairs and BNP leader Lutfozzaman Babar stated that the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) never used the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) for party interests. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, January 1, after visiting the grave of Begum Khaleda Zia, he said the force was formed under her directive to ensure public safety, not for political purposes. Babar emphasized that no one could prove that RAB was politically used and that even BNP members were not spared if they committed wrongdoing. He described Khaleda Zia as uncompromising on national security and sovereignty and said he found similar qualities in her son, acting BNP chairman Tarique Rahman. Babar added that he came to the graveyard out of personal emotion, not political intent, and had obtained permission from law enforcement authorities. The remarks highlighted Babar’s continued loyalty to the BNP leadership and his call for prayers for a people’s government under Tarique Rahman’s leadership.