BNP leader Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku has rejected comparisons of the July 24 uprising to a “second independence,” saying the nation’s only independence came through the 1971 Liberation War. Speaking at a party event, Tuku accused the Awami League of distorting history and empowering anti-liberation forces to challenge the spirit of 1971. He said: “Some call July 24 a second independence, but a child is born only once. The freedom achieved in 1971 remains our true independence. July 24 was about toppling a despotic ruler like Sheikh Hasina.”