Democracy needs communal justice, stronger judiciary: Nahid

Democracy cannot be consolidated without ensuring communal justice and strengthening the country's judicial system, National Citizen Party (NCP) Convener and Opposition Chief Whip Nahid Islam has said.

He made the remarks while speaking to journalists after a view-exchange meeting with followers of traditional religions at Dhakeshwari Temple in the capital on Friday, on the occasion of Janmashtami.

Nahid said minorities had faced persecution in the past, while successive governments often failed to take effective action against such incidents, creating a culture of impunity.

"At that time, a culture of impunity was created. The country's judiciary is still weak. Therefore, the judiciary must be strengthened," he said.

He said the overall situation in the country was currently stable, but political institutions needed to be strengthened to give the stability a durable foundation.

"The tradition of a multi-religious and multicultural Bangladesh must be maintained," he said.

Nahid said implementation of the July Charter and the outcome of the referendum could help strengthen the judiciary and ensure access to justice for people from all communities.

He said maintaining peace, harmony and communal amity was a shared responsibility of all political parties, regardless of whether they were in government or opposition.

"We think that whether we are in the government or the opposition, it is the responsibility of all political parties to ensure that peace, harmony and amity are maintained in this country," Nahid said.

"We think that the situation in the country is somewhat stable now. But we need to give it a strong foundation," he added.