BNP acting chairmanTarique Rahman on Tuesday urged the people of the country to show utmost restraint and avoid falling prey to any provocation.

“I urge my fellow Bangladeshis to show utmost restraint and not fall prey to any provocation,” he said in a post on X (formerly twitter) following the attack on the Bangladeshi consulate in Agartala.

The BNP leader said, “Bangladesh faces many challenges, but we have largely been, and will remain, a land of religious harmony and territorial sovereignty, where the rights and freedoms of every citizen are protected, irrespective of race, caste, and religion.”

He said since the fall of autocrat Sheikh Hasina, there is an increase of inflammatory media commentary and political rhetoric against Bangladesh coming from certain Indian quarters.

There is now an echo chamber filled with misinformation, fuelling persistent anti-Bangladesh sentiment, he added.

“The latest attack on the Bangladeshi consulate in Agartala highlights the destabilising effects of disinformation, which only creates division and discord among neighbours,” said Tarique Rahman.

He said international stakeholders must acknowledge that a destabilised Bangladesh, with near about 200 million people, is not in the interest of any country. “It is crucial to objectively understand what led to Hasina's ouster, what has been happening in Bangladesh since she fled to India, and why it’s imperative to forge people-to-people ties between Bangladesh and India, beyond any particular person or political party,” said the BNP acting chairman.