The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) will take steps to rehabilitate families of those who were victims of enforced disappearances if it comes to power, party Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said.

He made the remarks on Tuesday (July 29) while speaking at an event hosted by 'Mayer Dak', a platform for victims' families, in Banani, Dhaka.

Mirza Fakhrul acknowledged that it may not be possible to return those who have gone missing, but emphasized that there are still ways to support and compensate the affected families. “If we do nothing for them, then we are all responsible,” he said.

He criticised the current political system, saying, “With regime change, many have taken top positions, become ministers, or taken control of businesses. But no one has looked back at those who sacrificed their lives.”

The BNP leader also accused the government of failing to take meaningful action for either children or the rehabilitation of families of those killed or disappeared.

Speaking further on the issue of the missing, Fakhrul said that although the Commission on Enforced Disappearances had submitted a report, there had been little progress in locating the victims. 

“Reforms are meaningless if they do not serve the people’s welfare,” he added.

SMS/