Protest March to PM Office Demanded Unless US Trade Deal, DP World Lease Cancelled
The Anti-imperialist and Anti-war Alliance organized a massive protest rally at the Central Shaheed Minar yesterday, demanding the immediate cancellation of all unequal foreign agreements, including a trade deal signed with the United States and the leasing of the New Mooring Container Terminal at Chattogram Port to DP World. Presided over by alliance coordinator and SPB general secretary Bazlur Rashid Firoz, the gathering drew prominent left-wing leaders and intellectuals who voiced vehement opposition to foreign dominance and threats to national sovereignty.
Speakers at the rally alleged that the subordinate trade agreement signed with the United States has critically endangered Bangladesh’s economy, independence, and national security. They claimed that the government is currently implementing this agreement while ignoring public opinion, adding that major political factions are virtually supporting the deal without raising any substantial opposition. Furthermore, leaders criticized the sequential leasing of vital seaport terminals to foreign companies, warning that it establishes dangerous foreign control over critical national economic infrastructure.
Protesters also strongly condemned initiatives for open-pit coal mining in Phulbari and plans to construct LNG terminals that threaten the ecological balance of the Sundarbans. Speakers asserted that while the mass uprising rejected foreign hegemony, the current administration is leaning heavily toward an America First policy, effectively replacing the influence of one imperialist power with another. They also criticized the cost escalation of the Metro Rail project and the awarding of its contracting work to a Delhi-based company, while demanding an end to all efforts to embed Bangladesh into international military alliances.
Prominent figures present at the event included CPB President Sajjad Zahir Chandan, veteran left-wing leaders Manzurul Ahsan Khan and Khalequzzaman, and economist Professor Anu Muhammad, alongside leaders from diverse student, youth, and professional bodies. Bazlur Rashid Firoz officially announced the alliance’s written declaration, proposals, and action programs, calling for a unified mass movement against capitalism, imperialism, and fundamentalism while protesting ongoing imperialist wars and global aggression.
To press home their demands, the alliance announced a comprehensive two-month-long program featuring district- and upazila-level meetings, rallies, long marches, and mass outreach campaigns. Organizers warned that if these core demands are not met within the designated timeframe, a massive protest march towards the PM’s Office, preceded by a major rally in Dhaka on December 29, will be executed to submit a formal memorandum.
