BNP condemns Hadi attack, calls it bid to derail election

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has strongly condemned the shooting of independent candidate Sharif Osman Hadi, describing it as part of a "far-reaching and sinister plan" to sabotage the electoral environment.

In a statement issued on Thursday, December 12, the party demanded the immediate arrest and exemplary punishment of the attackers, claiming a "vested quarter is trying to fish in troubled waters" by staging such violent acts to spread fear for political gain.

The BNP alleged that violent extremists remain active to serve narrow political interests and that a conspiratorial group is attempting to push the country into chaos to obstruct the democratic momentum from the July Uprising.

"This attack is clearly a blueprint to sabotage the electoral environment by unleashing terrorism," the statement read, warning citizens to remain alert against such subversive activities aimed at disrupting the national polls.

The party urged national unity to protect democracy, safeguard voting rights, and ensure public security, asserting that firm action against the perpetrators is essential. "Otherwise, the terrorists lying in wait will resurface and endanger the country's very existence," it cautioned.

Hadi, the Dhaka-8 aspirant and spokesperson for the Inqilab Mancha platform, was shot in the head by armed assailants in the capital's Paltan area on Thursday afternoon and remains in critical condition at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.