People will defend borders if govt fails to ensure security: Nahid

Published : Tuesday, 12 May, 2026 at 8:55 PM Count : 5

Opposition Chief Whip in parliament and National Citizen Party (NCP) Convener Nahid Islam today said people would take the responsibility of protecting the country’s borders if the government fails to ensure national security.

He made the remarks while addressing a discussion and documentary screening titled "Shapla Massacre: A Decade of Impunity", organised by National Ulama Alliance, at the Institution of Diploma Engineers in Dhaka's Kakrail.

Referring to the current border situation, Nahid said the country is once again witnessing killings along the frontiers and the erection of new barbed wire fences.

He said friendship is impossible if one country continues fencing the border and killing citizens of the other country, adding that genuine ties cannot be built behind barbed wire.

Nahid also expressed hope that people of the neighbouring country would one day remove the fences to establish genuine relations with the people of Bangladesh.

The NCP leader said protecting Bangladesh’s borders and securing the country’s fair share of transboundary river waters were fundamental responsibilities of the state.

Referring to the July uprising, he said the movement was driven by the collective aspiration for a sovereign Bangladesh that would not remain subordinate to any other country and where independence and national dignity would remain intact.

Nahid alleged that Muslims across the border were facing repression and warned that propaganda could be used to portray Muslims in Bangladesh as oppressors of Hindus in order to justify violence elsewhere.

He said madrasa students guarded temples following the July uprising. He added that NCP and its supporters remain prepared to protect all religious minorities against any attempt of communal violence.

Referring to the Shapla Chattar killings, Nahid said the July massacre of 2024 could have been avoided had those responsible for the 2013 crackdown been brought to justice a decade earlier.

He described the 2013 incident as a deep wound in the country’s political history and said that while any group had the right to place demands before the state, no government could justify repression or firing on unarmed protesters.

Nahid also criticised both the political leadership and sections of the media during the 2013 protests.

He said BNP, as the main opposition party at the time, should have played a stronger leadership role when such a large section of the population was at risk.

He further criticised the media for portraying victims as "criminals" and religious scholars as "extremists" under a "war on terror" narrative.

Calling for democratic reforms, Nahid urged the government not to repeat the exclusionary politics of the previous regime.

He also demanded a proper investigation into the deaths at Shapla Chattar, alongside justice for all extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances carried out during the Awami League government.

FP/MI