Nahid Islam, convener of the National Citizens Party (NCP), said that Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus was offered the position of head of the new government before the government fell on August 4 last year.

He said, "On August 4 last year, we held a press conference demanding the release of all political prisoners and the formation of an interim national government. We also demand that we will not accept any kind of military rule or military-backed rule."

He made these remarks on the last day of the 47th witness's testimony in the case filed against Sheikh Hasina and three others as superior responsibility at the International Crimes Tribunal on Thursday. The two-member International Crimes Tribunal 1, led by Justice Golam Mortaza Majumder, recorded his statement from 11:15 am to 1 pm.

In his statement, Nahid Islam said that throughout the movement, police and members of various law enforcement agencies fired indiscriminately at the protesters. They were even instructed to fire from helicopters. Armed terrorists from the Awami League and its affiliates fired and tortured them with domestic weapons.

The NCP convener said, "I blame former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, and the heads of the police and various law enforcement agencies for all these brutal killings." He said, "These killings were carried out on the orders of Sheikh Hasina and Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal. They committed these killings to consolidate and consolidate their power."

Nahid said, "Later we learned through various media that Sheikh Hasina had ordered the use of helicopters and lethal weapons on the protesters. At this stage, he prayed to the International Criminal Tribunal to severely punish the criminals involved in this murder."

At one stage of the statement, the NCP convener said, "As per the previously announced program, we held a sit-in and protest at Shahbagh on August 4 last year. On that day, we announced the March to Dhaka program on August 6. However, the government declared a curfew on that day and carried out a massive massacre across the country. We learned that the government has made extensive preparations to thwart the March to Dhaka program on August 6. At the same time, mobile phones and internet will be shut down. In addition, we may be killed or disappeared. That is why we have scheduled the March to Dhaka program a day ahead of August 5."

He said, "We, Mahfuz Alam, were liaising with other student organisations and civil society on behalf of the coordinators to make the August 5 March to Dhaka programme a success. We held discussions with Dr Muhammad Yunus as a preliminary preparation for the formation of a new government. He was also offered the responsibility of the new head of government."

Earlier, Nahid's testimony was to be taken from 3 pm to 4:30 pm on September 17. However, the tribunal adjourned it until today as it was not over.