Dhaka: Describing the 21-August grenade attack as a dreadful terror act, Bangladesh Nationalist Party standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan on Friday claimed that their party has no involvement in it.

He also demanded a fair trial of the perpetrators of the attack on an Awami League rally in 2004.

‘The 21-August grenade attack is a horrible and terror act. We want to clearly state that the real offenders be tried through a fair and neutral probe, no matter who they are,’ the BNP leader said.

He came up with the remarks while talking to reporters after placing wreaths at BNP founder Ziaur Rahman’s grave along with the leaders and activists of Jatiyatabadi Krishak Dak, marking the release of its general secretary and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia’s adviser Shamsuzzaman Dudu from jail.

On 7 August, Dudu was freed from Kashimpur jail on bail in political cases. Police arrested him during a meeting with party men at a restaurant in Mirpur on 11 January.

Sought his comment over the allegation of the ruling Awami League about BNP’s involvement in the 21-August attack, Nazrul said they have repeatedly made its position clear that their party has no hands in it. ‘We think they (AL) are brining allegation against us due to political reason.’

‘We want to equivocally say that BNP do nationalist and democratic politics and there is no room for terrorism in it. So, BNP has no link to the politics of killing and terrorism,’ he added.

Refuting AL’s allegation, the BNP policymaker said people do not believe in such accusation. This matters little what they (AL) says as they brand Ziaur Rahman, who proclaimed the country’s Liberation War, as a Pakistani agent and they also call Kader Siddiqui as a Razakar.’  

BNP is a pro-Liberation War party, Nazrul said adding it doesn’t believe in politics of political vengeance. ‘We’re the representative of the nationalist mustand democratic forces.’  

Relying to a question regarding the arrest of three pro-BNP lawyers for allegedly financing militants, he said has no idea about it. ‘The government is carrying out propaganda to give an impression that BNP patronises militancy and terrorism, but the country’s people know it very that it’s not true. This government move is unjust and vengeful.’

Nazrul came down hard on the government saying it is trying to subdue the opposition through its repressive acts and keeping senior BNP leaders in jails in ‘false’ cases. ‘This current situation must be changed and a pro-people government is a.’

The BNP leader said the government came to power without people’s mandate depriving them of their voting rights.  

He said they are on a movement to restore people’s voting rights and establish a pro-people government.