As much as I have had the opportunity to learn about martyred President Ziaur Rahman, I am fascinated by him as a student organizer and conscious citizen. There are 3 main reasons for this:

1. He initiated unity by breaking the walls of division in Bangladeshi politics.

2. His courageous stance against hegemony.

3. His strategic stance on the hilly region was the quality of visionary leadership.

I grew up watching Begum Khaleda Zia and the murderer Hasina since childhood. One of the aspects of Begum Zia's character was 'humility or softness'. Whereas the murderer Hasina is completely the opposite. However, the identity that I know Begum Zia the most is that she is an 'uncompromising leader' in the interests of the country. We are witnessing the proof of this from 1/11 to 2025. She endured oppression and torture but did not bow down in the least to any hegemonic force against fascism and the country.

The way everyone is praying for Begum Zia's illness, regardless of party affiliation, has happened to very few people in the history of Bangladesh. In this new and changing time in Bangladesh, our generation needs his thoughts and advice very much. May Allah heal him. Amen.

From what I have seen of Mr. Tarique Rahman, I know him as a smart person. Although there has been a lot of criticism about him on the alleged corruption and Hawa Bhaban issues, I was quite optimistic about him that he will give a new culture and a smart move in politics in Bangladesh after July 36. He will do politics rich in generosity and free from division. But in the last one and a half years, I cannot reconcile the character of BNP in Bangladesh's politics with the ideals of martyred President Ziaur Rahman and Begum Zia. I do not know whether Mr. Tarique Rahman has a hand in this or is he being influenced by some other force or leader. Especially the attempt to create an invisible distance between the Chhatra Shibir's relationship with Chhatra Dal before and after the July 36 coup—God knows exactly whose will this is.

I know from reliable information that Jamaat has tried to maintain its relationship with BNP by making maximum concessions to national interests, which is still ongoing. But in this case, BNP has behaved very contemptuously towards Jamaat. BNP is not willing to consider itself and anyone other than Awami League as a government party or opposition party. What a strange thought! Let's see how realistic this thought is. The most dangerous policy they have adopted is to chant 71, 71, 71 instead of nurturing the correct spirit of 71 like the fascist Awami League. Doesn't Tarique Rahman have the knowledge to understand how much this generation has rejected the business of consciousness against the ideological statement!! At whose behest exactly did BNP plunge into that old politics of division—it is incomprehensible in any way!

When I went to prison in 2015, I was taken to the prison hospital from the import cell in an injured state. When I went there, I found many people whose legs had been shot. Many had to have their legs amputated. What a horrible picture, which cannot be expressed in words! Just as I have seen the images and incidents of torture of Chhatra Shibir and Jamaat brothers in prison for almost 6 months, I also know a lot of the history of BNP brothers. For the past 15 years, Hasina has been steamrolling the torture of Chhatra Shibir and Jamaat. In addition, thousands of BNP leaders and activists have been killed, disappeared, remanded, and forced to leave their homes and spend their lives in paddy fields and canals—we are witnesses to that. But what kind of politics did the BNP policymakers start after July 36—I ​​cannot reconcile their accounts at all.

I do not want to lose hope in Mr. Tarique Rahman. Let him do politics without being bound by anyone's chains and holding onto his own identity and the blood of his parents. I believe—all patriotic revolutionary forces including Chhatra Shibir will love and cooperate with him. We are not against any person or party. Those who show fascist behavior and a tendency to bow down to the hegemonic power—believe me, this generation cannot tolerate them at all.

Let me say two things, InshaAllah, in the future, we will reconcile them in time—
1. As long as BNP can hold the ideals of martyred President Ziaur Rahman and the uncompromising leader, and can determine the party's policy in light of that, BNP will survive in Bangladesh. The opposite thoughts and politics minus the ideals of these two people will not survive in any way. They will slowly disappear.

2. The left and the so-called friendly state (hegemonic) have never done any good to this country except harm. In the name of self-interest, division and secularism, Islamophobia is their main agenda. Along with the harm to the country, they also leave the party or ideology they ride on.

We should remember—power is never permanent, but behavior and ideology make people a permanent vessel for love or hatred. May Almighty Allah grant us the right understanding for the sake of the country. Amen.

Writer : Central President, Bangladesh Islamic Satra Shibir