Awami League MP Shubid Ali describes Zia as ‘first president’

A controversial claim that ‘Ziaur Rahman is the first president of Bangladesh’ has now been made by no-one other than an Awami League MP.

Retired major general Mohammad Shubid Ali Bhuiyan faced intense criticism from his colleagues after making the claim in a meeting of a parliamentary committee on Wednesday.

More than one MP who attended the meeting told bdnews24.com that Shubid’s loyalty to Awami League was questioned in the meeting.

Shubid, the chief of the parliamentary standing committee on defence ministry, had been the Principal Staff Officer (PSO) of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia when she was the prime minister.

After retirement, he was denied BNP nomination for 2001 election in Comilla’s Daudkandi.

He later fought the polls as an independent candidate but lost.

Shubid confirmed Awami League’s ticket in 2008 and defeated top BNP leader Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain to become an MP.

He had been given the post of the chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on power, energy and mineral resources ministry.

After winning the 10th parliamentary election, Shubid became the chief of the parliamentary standing committee on defence ministry.

Ziaur Rahman’s son Tarique Rahman faced criticism for describing his father as the ‘first president of Bangladesh’ last year. The High Court later banned broadcast of his speech.

Dhaka University recently sacked a registrar for calling Zia ‘the first president’ in a founding anniversary publication.

On Wednesday, Shubid did the same thing in a meeting of the parliamentary standing committee on public undertakings, more than one MPs who attended the meeting confirmed bdnews24.com.

One of them, requesting anonymity, said, “Shubid Ali entered into a heated argument with the other MPs after making the claim. Committee chief Shawkat Ali calmed them down.”

“The other MPs rebuked him, saying he doesn’t embrace the Awami League’s ideals. He is in the party only for the opportunity to be an MP.”

He said MPs Mohibur Rahman Manik, Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun, Abdur Rouf and Navana Akter slated Shubid.

“One of them even said ‘you (Shubid) are actually nothing but a soldier of Zia. You can’t get BNP’s nomination in your seat as top BNP leader Mosharraf Hossain is also from the same area. Now you are with Awami League to be MP’,” he said.

Shubid did not receive bdnews24.com phone calls for his comments.

The committee’s member Manik said Wednesday’s meeting was on the University Grants Commission.

“I told the UGC chairman that the commission can seek explanation for calling Ziaur Rahman the first president of Bangladesh in Dhaka University’s founding anniversary souvenir because the education minister says his ministry cannot interfere in an autonomous institution,” Manik said.

“At this stage of the discussion, before the UGC chairman could respond, Shubid Ali said ‘Zia is the first president of Bangladesh and he (Shubid) has also written it in his book’,” Manik said.

“Then I asked ‘what does it mean when you (Shubid) bring up a settled issue which the BNP raises for debate',” he said.

The MPs said Shubid was firm on his claim even after facing criticism in the meeting.

Manik said he quoted Awami League General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam to say in the meeting that there are intruders in Bangladesh Chhatra League from Jamaat-e-Islami’s student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir.

“Now I see Jamaat-Shibir men have entered Awami League and its affiliates to get benefits like Shubid Ali does. They have to be identified,” he added.

Panel chief Shawakat Ali said the argument between Shubid Ali and the other MPs will be taken off the minutes of the meeting because it was not included in the agenda.

A graduate from Dhaka University’s Islamic history and culture department, Shubid Ali joined Pakistan Army in 1966.

He was transferred to East Bengal Regiment in Chittagong in 1969 as a captain. Ziaur Rahman was also posted there at the time.

Shubid fought the Liberation War under Zia’s command in 1971.

He was the PSO at the Armed Forces Division at the Prime Minister's Office from 1991 to 1996 when Zia’s wife Khaleda was the prime minister.

His name came up in the sensational drop of a huge cache of arms in India’s Purulia in 1995.

Indian writer Chandan Nandy in his book on the arms drop, ‘The Night It Rained Guns’, says Shubid had signed the End User Certificate to bring the consignment of weapons from Bulgaria that were finally dropped at Purulia in West Bengal on Dec 17 that year.

Nandy has this to say about Maj Gen Bhuiyan's role:

"The only sign of any official stamp is the issuing signature of a senior officer, Maj-Gen Subed Ali Bhuiyan, Principal Staff Officer, Armed Forces Division, Prime Minister's Office.

“...It was suspected that Major General Bhuiyan accepted a generous bribe to sign the EUC, a matter that was later investigated by the Bangladesh government, when Sheikh Hasina came to power in 1996...”