BNP Standing Committee member Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan today spoke at Jatiya Press Club in the capital. Photo: BSS

DHAKA, Aug 23, 2025 (BSS) - BNP Standing Committee member Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan today said the very spirit of independence was rooted in establishing democracy and ensuring the economic emancipation of the country's poor.

"But there have been repeated setbacks. The first came between 1972 and 1975, when the Awami League government introduced one-party rule in the post-liberation period," he said while unveiling a book titled 'Tarique Rahmaner Rajniti: Gana Abhuthaner Sublimity' at Jatiya Press Club (JPC).

Moyeen Khan said Begum Khaleda Zia entered politics through the front door, not the back door.

Addressing students as the future leaders, he warned, "If we go to fulfill our responsibilities without preparation, we will have to face challenges in the future."

On the present political landscape, he said the announcement of the election schedule had changed the overall scenario. 

Referring to the youth, he added that those eligible to vote at 18 were deprived of exercising their franchise for 17 years between 2009 and 2025. "Today, they are waiting eagerly to cast their votes," he remarked.

The BNP leader reaffirmed his party's pledge to continue its struggle for good governance through democracy.

Professor Dr Liaquat Ali, Professor Dr Dil Rawshan Jinnat Ara Nazneen, Professor Jamal Uddin Runu and Professor Dr Mohammad Amirul Islam, among others, also spoke at the event.