Staff Correspondent

Fearing further untoward incidents in the days ahead as part of a plot to derail the national election, BNP senior leader Mirza Abbas on Saturday said the country is moving towards an abnormal process.

“Yesterday on social media, I listened to the remarks of one of the world’s most powerful leaders. It made me feel that our country is not going through a normal process, but moving forward in an abnormal way,” he said.

Abbas, a BNP Standing Committee member, made the remarks while talking to reporters after visiting injured Gono Odhikar Parishad President Nurul Haque Nur at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH).

Nur has been receiving treatment at the DMCH after being seriously injured during a clash with Jatiya Party leaders and workers in the capital’s Kakrail area on August 29.

Condemning the attack on Nur and Jatiya Ganatantrik Party (Jagpa) President Khandaker Lutfur Rahman, Abbas said he had heard a few days earlier that some people might come under targeted attacks.

He said the government should properly look into these attacks and find out the motives behind the incidents. “Otherwise, we will understand that the government is perhaps failing to maintain its command.”

As journalists drew his attention to the attack on a shrine and the burning of a dead body, Abbas said the attacks on political leaders and the shrine are not isolated incidents.

“With the election ahead, you will see many more such incidents, as a certain quarter wants to prevent the election from being held,” he said.

The BNP leader said the attack on Nur seems not normal but intentional.

“The attack on Nur was brutal and clearly deliberate, not a random clash. His condition is serious, as he is still bleeding at times, and I fear internal injuries. A fair investigation must be carried out to find out who was behind it and why,” he said.

Abbas said although the government has said Nur will be sent abroad for treatment, it has not happened yet, which is frustrating.

He said Nur should be sent urgently, and not just anywhere, but to the country best equipped to treat his injuries. “From my experience, I can say treatment in Western countries, especially Germany, would be most effective.”

The BNP leader said the longer this is delayed, the greater the risk to Nur’s health, as heavy medication, including the use of antibiotics for a long time, cannot continue indefinitely. “I urge the government to act quickly, ensure he gets the best possible treatment abroad, and keep him under proper care so that he can recover and return to serve the country.”