Speaking to reporters on Sunday after paying homage to the martyred intellectuals of 1971, he said:"Killings and abductions like 1971 is happening still now. In the last nine months, 82 persons have been killed.
"There's no guarantee of natural death in this country. The people want relief from this situation and the Jatiya Party can ensure that."
The former military dictator claimed that he was the first president of Bangladesh to pay respect to the martyred intellectuals of 1971.
"I was the first president to pay homage at the Martyred Intellectuals' Memorial. This (the memorial site) was an empty land. It was me who developed this place," he told the press.
Ershad shot back at the BNP chief, who alleges that Ershad was behind the assassination of BNP founder Ziaur Rahman, saying: "I want to say that you (Khaleda) were in power thrice. Why did not you initiate the trials?
"A trial was opened once then it stopped. Why? It has to be started again. We also want the killers of Ziaur Rahman to be brought to justice."