BNP vice-chairman Barkat Ullah Bulu has warned that if fundamentalist forces seize power in Bangladesh, the nation’s future will be bleak.

“India was once a secular country, but that has changed. If fundamentalists take power in Bangladesh, it could become another Afghanistan or Syria,” Bulu cautioned.

He urged voters to protect the secular ideals of the Liberation War by exercising their franchise responsibly in the upcoming national elections.

BNP leader AZM Zahid Hossain dismissed calls for introducing Proportional Representation (PR) elections through street movements.

“The constitution only provides for direct voting and direct election of representatives. If PR is to be adopted, it must be approved in Parliament after the people accept it in the next election,” Zahid said.

He warned that efforts to push PR through agitation while simultaneously negotiating at the table may undermine democracy and open the door to authoritarianism.

Zahid further stated that the people are eagerly waiting to vote after being denied the right for 17 years, and elections are expected by mid-February.

Authorities at Gazipur Safari Park detained 11 individuals for illegally entering the park at midnight. They were later handed over to police.

The detainees, who reportedly work at local factories and other establishments, have not yet been identified. Park officials noted that past incidents of theft have endangered rare animals and valuable property, prompting stricter nighttime patrols.

The Election Commission has approved the registration of 73 domestic observer organizations ahead of the upcoming polls.

The EC has called for objections, if any, to be submitted by October 20, with supporting documents, six copies of the objection, and details of the objector. After hearings, the EC’s decision will be final.

This year, a total of 318 organizations applied for observer registration.

A delegation from the European Union held a meeting with the Nationalist Citizens’ Party (NCP) at its Banglamotor office on Saturday.

The EU team included election observation experts Riccardo Chelleri, Mete Bakken, Manuel Wally, and Baiba Zarinas, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Bangladesh.

The NCP delegation was led by chief coordinator Nasir Uddin Patwari, with joint conveners Sultan Mohammad Zakaria, Khaled Saifullah, Taznuva Jabeen, joint member secretaries Alauddin Mohammad and Zahirul Islam Musa, and joint chief coordinator Navid Nawroz Shah.

BNP’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman has declared that the party’s future will be centered on unity, the people, and nation-building. “BNP will move as the people want. Wherever Bangladesh’s interests lie, BNP will stand there,” he said.

Tarique warned that without unity among democratic forces, hidden authoritarianism could resurface, much like post-independence autocracy.

Meanwhile, Salahuddin Ahmed reiterated that political exploitation of Islam will be countered through electoral politics. He urged BNP activists to remain vocal on social media to counter misinformation and propaganda.

BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has accused four senior Awami League leaders of advising Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on orchestrating killings.

“Obaidul Quader, Anisul Huq, Salman F. Rahman, and Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal — these four masterminded every killing under Hasina’s direction,” Rizvi alleged, after visiting injured former JCD leader Dolon in Rupganj.

He further claimed that Hasina’s security adviser Tariq Siddique suggested killing some people to suppress the opposition movement. “Even leaked phone conversations expose how killings were ordered,” Rizvi said.

He alleged that 1,400 to 1,500 students and workers, including 142 JCD activists, have been killed, along with over 400 BNP activists. “The people no longer want to see this cycle of bloodshed under Hasina’s regime,” he added.

BNP leader Salahuddin Ahmed has accused certain quarters of using religion for political gain, warning that the people must respond through their votes.

“Those who are trying to sell tickets to heaven are nothing but religious businessmen. This country will not allow anyone to profit from exploiting people’s beliefs,” Salahuddin said.

He further alleged that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s reliance on the “spirit of 1971” narrative ultimately led her to seek shelter in Delhi. “Their politics died in Dhaka and was buried in Delhi,” he added.

Salahuddin vowed that justice for every killing will be pursued, though the process may take time. He also cautioned BNP leaders and activists to remain united against conspiracies.

A heart-wrenching cry of “Allah, Allah, please don’t” echoed from the lips of 60-year-old Halim Uddin Akand when his hair was forcibly cut in public. Following the incident, his son, Md. Shahid Akand, lodged a case with Tarakanda Police Station, naming seven individuals and including four to five unidentified persons as accused.

According to the case statement, the incident took place on June 5 this year. Officer-in-Charge Tipu Sultan confirmed that the case was accepted after verifying details from the victim’s family. The names of the accused are not being disclosed at this stage for the sake of investigation.

Additional Superintendent of Police (Crime) Abdullah Al Mamun remarked, “Such inhumane treatment of an elderly man in public is unacceptable in a civilized society.”

BNP leader Abdul Moin Khan has accused the Awami League of deceiving the Hindu community over the past 17 years while subjecting them to exploitation.

“Across the country, their homes and businesses have been looted under the pretense of friendship. Even when the Hindu community sought justice from the then Prime Minister, no remedy was provided,” Moin said at a public meeting.

He argued that while the Awami League preaches one thing, it practices the opposite.

Moin reaffirmed that the BNP believes in nationalism, ensuring equal rights for all citizens regardless of religion or ethnicity.
“If the people elect BNP in the next election, we will guarantee those rights,” he declared.

BNP leader Goyeshwar Chandra Roy lost his mobile phone during a party program in Lalbagh on Friday evening.

The incident occurred as he attended a meeting with Durga Puja organizing committees of Dhaka-7 constituency. After delivering his speech and stepping down from the stage, Goyeshwar realized his phone was missing.

Despite a thorough search, it could not be found. An announcement was later made at the venue, offering a Tk 5,000 reward for anyone who returns the device.

Former presidents and prime ministers from 11 countries, along with ex-heads of international institutions, met Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus to express solidarity with Bangladesh’s interim government.

The meeting, led by former Latvian President Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga, praised Yunus’s lifelong contributions to poverty reduction and social justice.

The leaders noted Bangladesh faces “serious challenges” after 16 years of corruption and misrule.

Kerry Kennedy lauded the country’s human rights progress, while Melanne Verveer of Georgetown University’s Institute for Women, Peace, and Security said her organization would soon formally endorse Bangladesh’s July Revolution.

Yunus, visibly moved, compared the country’s situation to surviving a massive natural disaster:
“For 16 years, Bangladesh has lived through an earthquake measuring 9 on the Richter scale.”

Jamaat leader Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher has claimed that poverty could be eradicated from Bangladesh within three to four years if Zakat were officially collected and managed.

He proposed mobilizing Zakat funds from across the Muslim world to create massive employment opportunities.

For example, he suggested that if a youth were given Tk 500,000 from Zakat funds to run 10 small food carts, each could employ 10 people, generating Tk 700–800 in daily profits and Tk 90,000 monthly income for the owner.

“This way, thousands of crores could be mobilized for nationwide employment,” Taher said, also praising the sacrifices of expatriates in past movements.

An earthquake measuring 3.5 on the Richter scale struck Monirampur in Jessore at 2:27 p.m. on Saturday.

The tremor originated in Monirampur itself, about 157 kilometers southwest of Dhaka, according to the Earthquake Monitoring and Research Center.

This marks the third quake this month. Earlier, on September 14, a 5.8-magnitude earthquake struck Assam, India, followed by a 4.0 quake in Sunamganj’s Chhatak region on September 21.

To protect spawning Hilsa, the government has imposed a nationwide ban on fishing in the Padma, Meghna, and the Bay of Bengal from midnight October 3 to midnight October 25.

The announcement has left fishing communities and traders frustrated. Despite being peak season, Hilsa catches have already been disappointing in parts of Lakshmipur and Raipur.

Local fishermen reported that even when Hilsa appear in rivers and seas, catches are nowhere near previous levels. Many families now fear severe hardship.

Last year, the ban began on October 12. Fishermen are urging authorities to reconsider the earlier enforcement date this year.