BNP standing committee member Dr Khondker Mosharraf Hossain has termed the letter of 12 international human rights organisations to the UN urging to ban the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), from the the peacekeeping missions as "shame" for the entire nation.

Dr Mosharraf asked: "Is it a pride for us? It must be an issue of shame for the entire nation. Who has humiliated us internationally? It's this government. But, why? Because, it has clinged to power illegally and forcibly."

He made the remarks while speaking as the chief guest at a discussion jointly organised by Dhaka City South and North BNP, marking the 86th birth anniversary of party founder Ziaur Rahman at the National Press Club in the capital on Friday.

The twelve human rights organisations include Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Asian Human Rights Commission, International Federation for Human Rights, The Advocates for Human Rights, World Organization Against Torture (OMCT), Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) and six others.

Besides, they have called for an in-depth review of the agency's role following the US sanctions in December last year.

The letter signed by the rights groups has been sent privately to UN Under-Secretary-General Jean-Pierre Lacroix.

Khondker Mosharraf alleged that the Awami League-led government had failed to suppress their acts of torture, disappearance, murder, extrajudicial killings and human rights violations.

"The whole world now knows that there is no human rights, no democracy in this country," he said.

The BNP leader said acts of the Awami League government are demeaning the country internationally.

He also mentioned that Bangladesh is now a globally recognised autocratic country.

The BNP leader said, "More than 1 lakh cases were filed against 36 lakh BNP leaders and activists. Disappearances and extrajudicial killings have been going on unabated. It cannot be the image of a democratic country."

"The Awami League government thought that they could stop the public protests by resorting to forced disappearance, torture, and extrajudicial killings," he said adding, "but right now, the whole world knows that there is no human rights in Bangladesh."

Bangladesh did not get the invitation to US President Joe Biden's virtual Summit for Democracy, which proves that Bangladesh has no democracy, he observed.

He asserted that human rights cannot exist without democracy.

Speaking as special guest, Dhaka North City BNP convener Aman Ullah Aman demanded the resignation of the Awami League government.

"If necessary, another mass uprising will be organised to oust this autocratic government from power and bring democracy back to the country," he said.

Abdus Salam, convener of the Dhaka South City BNP, presided over the discussion.