BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has claimed that Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was the architect of fascism in Bangladesh, stating, “Before 1975, he buried democracy and established a one-party state under BAKSAL.” Fakhrul credited BNP founder Ziaur Rahman for reinstating multi-party democracy. “He restored political plurality, press freedom, and freedom of speech,” he said. “Zia also moved the country from a closed, flawed economic model to a free-market economy, dramatically changing the face of Bangladesh in just over three years.” He also noted that it was former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia who transitioned the government from a presidential to a parliamentary system. Addressing those opposing reforms within the BNP, Fakhrul stated, “Many of us fought on the streets, endured prison, and stood against autocracy alongside Begum Khaleda Zia.”