The BNP yesterday demanded that the government must play an active diplomatic role to force Myanmar to resolve the Rohingya crisis. “Our demand is very clear and that is the government must give food and shelter to Rohingya refugees as well as ensure their security and fair treatment. At the same time, the government must step up diplomatic efforts to force the Myanmarese government to take back the Rohingyas who fled the country,” BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said at a human chain programme.

The human chain in front of the National Press Club from 10 am to 11 am was organized by the BNP as part of its countrywide programme “to protest against the persecution on Rohingyas on behalf of the people of Bangladesh”.

The BNP leader accused the government of “playing the role of a silent spectator” when the whole world was raising its voice against the repression of Rohingyas.

Blaming the government of failing to resolve the Rohingya crisis on both the diplomatic and humanitarian fronts, Alamgir said, “The government could not even take specific measures to give shelter to the refugees”.

He said the BNP didn’t want to know whether the Rohingyas

were Hindus or Muslims, but only considered them as fellow human beings.

He also blamed the Myanmarese government of initiating a war against humanity, and sought a united resistance against them. “Let us unite and raise our voice against the mass killing of Rohingyas, and force Myanmar to take back those who fled the country,” he added.

The BNP leader expressed concern over the alleged trespassing of Myanmarese Air Force helicopters into Bangladeshi airspace. “The present Bangladeshi government cannot strongly protest against the incident due to its knee-jerk foreign policy,” he alleged.

At the same time, Alamgir said late President Ziaur Rahman and former Premier Khaleda Zia had been able to send back Rohingyas to Myanmar through diplomatic initiatives.

BNP standing committee members Dr Abdul Moin Khan and Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, party vice chairman Shamsuzzaman Dudu, senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Dr AZM Zahid Hossain, and Joynal Abedin Faruk were among those who took part in the programme.