NCP condemns alleged harassment of Yunus in New York

National Citizen Party (NCP) convener and opposition chief whip Nahid Islam has strongly condemned an alleged attempt to harass Muhammad Yunus, the former chief adviser to Bangladesh’s interim government, at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, holding the Awami League responsible and demanding that the party be brought to justice without delay.

In a statement issued on Tuesday (13 October), Mr Nahid argued that the episode had once again laid bare what he described as the violent and inhumane nature of the party’s reliance on intimidation. Furthermore, he maintained that its allegedly violent conduct had remained unchanged, despite the public’s rejection of the Awami League two years ago. He added that the party had shown no tangible signs of remorse for its past actions.

Consequently, he called for concerted efforts to dismantle networks operating both at home and abroad, while insisting that those implicated in the July massacre, as well as in enforced disappearances and killings under the previous authoritarian administration, face trial. Moreover, he urged the authorities to expedite the judicial process and implement verdicts promptly, alongside initiating immediate proceedings against the Awami League as a political party over allegations of genocide and terrorism.

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Mr Nahid also called on the government to take effective measures to safeguard members of the former interim administration. He noted that Professor Yunus and his colleagues had spearheaded efforts to restore democracy and rebuild the economy during a critical period in the nation’s history. Accordingly, he stressed that ensuring their security should be treated as a matter of considerable importance, particularly amid concerns over alleged political intimidation, and reiterated that those responsible must be held accountable through due legal process.