People's desire for change made July Uprising successful: Tarique

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Tuesday said the July Uprising was fundamentally a people's movement that succeeded because citizens across the country united in their demand for change.

“The movement achieved success because people from all walks of life actively participated in it,” he said while addressing a discussion titled “Seventeen Years of Unyielding Struggle for Democracy and the Bloodstained July Awakening” at the Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh (KIB) in the capital.

The event was chaired by BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

The Prime Minister said the success of the July movement should not be attributed to any individual or a single political party, describing it instead as the collective achievement of pro-democracy students, citizens, political parties and people from all sections of society.

"We have consistently maintained that the credit for the success of the July Uprising belongs to the people of Bangladesh. It is not the accomplishment of any one individual or political party," he said.

Tarique Rahman noted that leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), other democratic political forces and ordinary citizens had continued their struggle against what he described as authoritarian rule over the past 17 years.

"We never abandoned the people or left the field during this long struggle," he added.

Calling on all political parties to work together in rebuilding the country, the Prime Minister said the time had come to move beyond prolonged political confrontation and focus on fulfilling the aspirations of the people.

"We must proceed with patience and prudence. Everyone should remain alert to conspiracies aimed at destabilising the country, while steadily implementing the commitments made to the people and advancing the task of national reconstruction," he said.

Tarique Rahman said the restoration of democracy had become possible through 17 years of continuous struggle, sacrifice and the contributions of countless people, adding that the July mass uprising would remain a historic milestone in Bangladesh's democratic journey.

Paying tribute to those who lost their lives during the movement, he said the nation would never forget their sacrifices. He stressed that ensuring medical treatment and rehabilitation for the injured, as well as safeguarding the dignity, welfare and security of the families of the martyrs, was both a moral and constitutional responsibility of the government.

He said the government was taking all necessary measures to fulfil those responsibilities.

The Prime Minister also underscored that the struggle for democracy was not merely about a change in political power but about establishing the rule of law, protecting human rights, safeguarding freedom of expression and building a transparent and accountable system of governance.

Highlighting the importance of national unity, tolerance and democratic values in building a "new Bangladesh," Rahman reaffirmed his commitment to promoting justice, reconciliation and development-oriented politics while rejecting the politics of revenge.

Addressing the younger generation, he urged them to actively participate in nation-building by upholding democratic values, free thinking and civic responsibility, saying that young people would play a pivotal role in building a prosperous, democratic and discrimination-free Bangladesh.