Dhaka, Jan 23 (bdnews24.com) –The aftermath of the failed coup will not be put to rest until those involved with the plot are found and punished, the ruling party said on Monday.
"The army incident is yet to be set to rest," Awami League general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam told a press briefing at the party chief's Dhanmondi office on the December coup attempt.
He said the investigation into the incident is underway. "Many have been identified. Many could not be arrested. The drive to arrest them is on."
"Its after-effect will not be over until those involved with it are found and punished by court," he added.
Before reading out a written speech in the briefing, the Awami League spokesperson said no-one will accept it if anybody usurps state power through military coup.
"Awami League wanted a national consensus to protect democracy," he said.
"There is no alternative to democracy," Syed Ashraf said and added that the BNP organised a press briefing instead of responding to his call for consensus.
"It means leaving the nation divided."
The army on Jan 19 called an extraordinary news conference to say that it had foiled an attempted coup in December by some hardline officers to topple the Sheikh Hasina government.
Several ruling party leaders indicated the BNP's involvement in the attempt even though some BNP leaders welcomed the army move to foil the coup d'état .
The chief opposition party gave its official reaction in a media briefing on Sunday.
"The army's press conference is nothing but reflection of the ruling party's thoughts," acting secretary-general of BNP, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, had told the press briefing.
On Monday, Syed Ashraf said his party organised the press briefing too as BNP organised another, though both the government and the opposition had reacted over the issue.
About Fakhrul's remarks, Syed Ashraf said, "He has propagated some peculiar, unexpected and baseless fictions which are nothing but denial of truth."
"There is no place for military coup in present world," he said, citing the fates military rulers in Libya, Egypt and Iraq have met.
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