Nap restarts its activities after 27 years

Shafikul Ghani Swapan has been elected chairman while Iqbal Hossain Forkan secretary general of the re-constituted party.

At a press conference at a city hotel, Swapan said Nap restarts its activities considering the present political situation in the country.

However, the party is not prepared to contest the upcoming election, he said, adding that the ad-hoc committee is still incomplete and there is only two days left to submit the nomination papers.

Swapan said a free and fair election is a must to help establish true democracy.

But the present situation indicates that a credible election is not possible as the President as well as the Chief Adviser has failed to prove his neutrality, he added.

Swapan said Nap demands a neutral Chief Adviser, an independent Election Commission and transparent ballot boxes for holding an election acceptable to all.

While reading out a written statement, Forkan said the present political situation is grave, but it is the politicians who are supposed to play the key role to lead the country towards a stable situation.

He also highlighted the principles of the reconstituted party.

It was Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani who founded Nap in 1957 and the party postponed its activities in 1978 when late Moshiur Rahman Jadu Miah held the post of the president.

Party Presidium Member M Shamsul Haque, Dhaka Mahanagar Convenor Nazir Ahmed, Central leader Azad Milky and former district judge MA Matin were also present at the press conference.