Nahid blames Hasina's Delhi briefing on government's diplomatic 'weakness', marks it as failure

National Citizen Party (NCP) Convenor and Chief Whip of the opposition Nahid Islam yesterday (7 August) said Sheikh Hasina was able to hold a press briefing in Delhi because of the BNP government's failures and diplomatic weakness.

"This is a diplomatic failure of the government. The foreign ministry is trying to earn praise by issuing a press release over fascist Hasina's Delhi briefing. This is mere rhetoric, what we colloquially call empty posturing.

Big words are used in the press release, but no diplomatic action is being taken," Nahid told reporters.

He made the comments after visiting a photo exhibition titled "July Still Not Over," organised by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami on the premises of the opposition leader's official residence.

Nahid said the Awami League had announced the press briefing in advance and the Delhi government had cooperated with them. "The Indian High Commission should have been summoned and strongly condemned by the government."

He added that the government should make public what diplomatic measures it plans to take against such incidents in future.

Alleging that the government is attempting to turn authoritarian, Nahid said if structural reforms are not carried out, the present government too will become autocratic, noting that such a tendency already exists within it.

He said history shows that a "failed Awami League" has repeatedly tried at different times to reassert itself in that mould but has failed in the face of public resistance, citing 1996 as an example. He warned that any fresh attempt now would again meet public resistance.

NCP's chief organiser for the northern region Sarjis Alam, spokesperson Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan and chief coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary, among other senior leaders, were present during the visit.