Former adviser and frontline leader of the July Uprising Mahfuj Alam addressed an all-party resistance rally at the Central Shaheed Minar premises this afternoon. Photo: BSS

DHAKA, Dec 15, 2025 (BSS) - Former adviser and frontline leader of the July 
Uprising Mahfuj Alam today said those who serve the interests of India or 
other foreign powers would not be allowed to remain safe in Bangladesh if the 
country's people themselves are unsafe.

"If we are not safe in this country, our enemies will not be safe either. 
Those who serve Indian interests or the interests of other foreign forces 
will also not be allowed to remain safe. This is the basic condition," he 
said.

He was addressing an all-party resistance rally protesting the attempted 
killing of Sharif Osman Hadi, organised by Inqilab Mancha at the Central 
Shaheed Minar premises this afternoon. 

Alam said political issues within the country must be confronted politically 
inside Bangladesh, but warned those who take the country's internal conflicts 
beyond its borders.

"If the issues of this country are taken outside the country, then the 
struggle for liberation of this country will also go beyond its borders," he 
said.

Referring to past restraint, Alam said if mistakes had been made by showing 
forgiveness, a resolve must now be taken not to repeat them.

He said Osman Hadi had stood against "invisible foreign assets" operating 
inside the country, alleging that both local and foreign interests had 
justified violence against him.

"When Osman Hadi was attacked, everyone remained silent-there was no voice, 
no clear stance. Instead, there is a performance of pretence," he said.

Mahfuj claimed that after August 5, 2024 there had been the capacity to act 
decisively against pro-Mujibist and Awami League-linked groups, but restraint 
was exercised, which emboldened their opponents.

Warning of a "grave situation ahead," Mahfuj said any attack on activists 
would provoke strong resistance. "If a body falls, we will respond 
accordingly. Civility alone will not work anymore. There has been enough 
patience," he continued.

The former adviser alleged that while trials were continuing through legal 
processes, some accused were exploiting legal loopholes to flee the country, 
take refuge in India, and incite or carry out violence in Bangladesh. "We 
will not tolerate this," he said.
Mahfuj also called on teachers, legal professionals, media workers and 
cultural activists who support the July movement to resist anti-July forces 
within their respective spheres.

"If the strength of July is built constructively, we will be able to confront 
both the internal issues and the pressure surrounding us," he said.

Calling for cultural resistance, Mahfuj urged supporters of the July movement 
to organise cultural activities across districts to counter anti-Bangladesh 
narratives.

He alleged that through a process resembling "colonisation," sections of 
intellectuals, cultural activists, academics and legal professionals had been 
co-opted to sustain Mujibist ideology and Indian hegemony, while others were 
consciously working against Bangladesh from within.

The rally, which began at 3pm, was attended by leaders and activists of 
various political parties as well as social and cultural organisations. 
Representatives of BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, Gano Odhikar Parishad, AB Party and 
Islami Andolan Bangladesh, among others, joined the programme.

Sharif Osman Hadi, spokesperson of Inqilab Mancha and an independent aspirant 
for the Dhaka-8 parliamentary seat, was critically wounded in a broad-
daylight shooting by unidentified assailants in the capital's Paltan area on 
December 12.
 
Hadi was first taken to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) and later 
shifted to Evercare Hospital. For advanced treatment, he was taken to 
Singapore on an air ambulance that departed from Hazrat Shahjalal 
International Airport (HSIA) at 01:55pm today.