Khaleda is still a Pakistani at heart, says Hanif

Awami League acting General Secretary Mahbub-ul Alam Hanif has said BNP chief Khaleda Zia does not believe in the spirit of 1971 that led to the birth of Bangladesh.

Addressing a press conference in Dhaka on Saturday, he said, “She does not believe in the spirit of the Liberation War… She was a Pakistani in 1971 and remains a Pakistani now in 2016.”
 
Hanif said Khaleda cast doubt on the number of Liberation War martyrs to ‘conceal the genocide’ carried out by Pakistan army during the Liberation War.
 
He warned that those triggering controversies over the settled issue of the Liberation War would be brought to book.
 
“(Khaleda) believes in Pakistani ideology. She is engaged in establishing Pakistani ideology. She made the statement to conceal the genocide and belittle the Liberation War,” he added.
 
Terming the number of martyrs a ‘settled issue’ the ruling party leader said, “The entire nation was stunned after she sparked controversies over it. People initially thought it was slip of tongue.”
 
The subsequent statements of other BNP leaders defending her made people understand that it as a part of well-organised conspiracy against the Liberation and the sovereignty of Bangladesh.
 
Speaking at a discussion on Dec 21, Khaleda cast doubt on the number of martyrs.
 
According to government documents, 3 million people died in the nine-month war that led to Bangladesh’s independence.
 
“There is a debate about how many hundreds of thousands were martyred in the Liberation War. Different books give different accounts,” the BNP chief had said.
 
She faced widespread criticism and several cases over the remarks.