National Citizen Party (NCP) convener Nahid Islam said that true friendship between countries cannot be built through barbed-wire fences

 National Citizen Party (NCP) convener Nahid Islam said that true friendship between countries cannot be built through barbed-wire fences.

Speaking on Tuesday (May 12) at a discussion and documentary screening titled “Shapla Massacre: A Decade of Impunity”, organized by the National Olama Alliance at the Institution of Diploma Engineers in Dhaka, he said:

“Killings are happening again at the border, and new barbed-wire fences are being erected. You cannot talk about friendship while killing Bangladeshi people at the border. Genuine friendship can never be established through barbed-wire fences. We believe that one day the people of that country themselves will remove those fences and build friendship with the people of Bangladesh.”

Nahid Islam also stated that protecting Bangladesh’s borders is the responsibility of the government. He warned that if the government fails in that duty, “the people will take that responsibility into their own hands.” He added that safeguarding the country’s borders is a collective responsibility of Bangladeshis.

He further said that it is the people’s responsibility to secure Bangladesh’s fair share of river water and urged the government to pay attention to these issues.

Referring to the “Shapla Massacre,” he claimed that the failure to ensure justice for past incidents has led to repeated violence later on. He also alleged that the events were portrayed differently at the time and that participants were labeled as “terrorists” and “militants.”