Tarique Rahman's latest claim labels Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib a 'Razakar'

BNP leader Tarique Rahman has continued his sustained attack on the man who put Bangladesh on the map by again reinterpreting the nation’s history.

This time he has labelled Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman a 'Razakar' and claims that the nation's founding father had accepted Yahya Khan as Pakistan president by striking a deal with him just before the proclamation of independence.

The BNP senior vice chairman came up with the latest in a long line of astounding claims at a programme in London on Tuesday (Bangladesh time), marking the Victory Day.

It was not clear, though, whether this piece of ‘history’ came to him from the horse’s mouth, or through high-brow interpretations or whether it was just an arm-chair analysis.

Tarique’s knack for playing tic-tac-toe with widely accepted history has come under severe criticism from historians, social commentators and politicians alike.

He again claimed on Tuesday that his father military ruler Gen Ziaur Rahman had proclaimed independence and was indeed Bangladesh's the first president.

Tarique, accused in a number of corruption cases, has been staying in London since 2008.

BNP's Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, and Khaleda's advisor Mir Nasiruddin, joined the programme along with about 500 party supporters.

The banner used in the programme introduced chief guest Tarique as the "leader of the country".

Citing AK Khandker and Badruddin Umar's writings, he went on to say the Awami League did not have preparations for an armed conflict in 1971.

Khandker, deputy chief of the ‘Mukti Bahini’, claimed in a recent book that Bangabandhu had finished his historic Mar 7 speech with ‘Joy Pakistan’ and that the political leadership of that time was not prepared for an armed struggle.

The BNP leader claimed that it would not have taken nine months to defeat the Pakistani forces, if Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had started the war on Mar 7, 1971 with the Banglaee army officers.

According to him, the "small number" of Pakistani soldiers then present in Bangladesh could have been easily defeated and the death toll and economic damage "could have been much less".

"After knowing all this, who can we solely blame? Sheikh Mujib. And we have called him a 'Razakar' after analysing the facts. We have labelled him as Pakbandhu (friend of Pakistan) on the basis of actual incidents."

Tarique went on saying: "If Sheikh Mujib can be held solely responsible for the tens of thousands of deaths and rape of women during the Liberation War, then what should we call the man who murdered so many people?"

The audience, comprising BNP activists, said in a chorus: "Razakar."

The elder son of BNP founder Ziaur Rahman and its present chief Khaleda Zia had been stirring up controversy over Bangladesh’s founding father for quite some time.

He said on Tuesday: "Awami League claims that they are the pro-Liberation War party. And what did Sheikh Mujib do to this party -- banned it. You (Sheikh Mujib) are the greatest Razakar of the world...You have banned the pro-Liberation War party, and it was the worst act against the Liberation War. Who can take such action against the Liberation War? Only a Razakar would do that. Then what should Sheikh Mujib be called? The biggest..."

"Razakar (of Bangladesh), murderer", the audience completed Tarique's sentence.

Speaking about the events from Mar 17 to Mar 25 in 1971, the presumed political heir to Khaleda Zia said the then President Yahya Khan had come to Dhaka on Mar 16 and stayed until Mar 25.

"Sheikh Mujib reached an agreement with Yahya about forming a national government with 11 ministers.

"...On Mar 24, Sheikh Mujib and Yahya's representatives had reached consensus on four issues...

"Sheikh Mujib had in fact accepted Yahya as the president," said the eldest son of Khaleda Zia who has often made headlines with such controversial claims.

Reiterating his claims of his father BNP founder Ziaur Rahman being the one who proclaimed Bangladesh's independence, Tarique referred to his father's 1974 writing published by the weekly magazine 'Bichitra'.

In it Zia wrote that Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's March 7 address was the inspiration behind his taking part in the 1971 liberation war. Though BNP does not accept Bangabandhu as the 'Father of the Nation', Zia himself mentioned the great leader as such in his writing.

Tarique, who is BNP's Senior Vice Chairman, claimed that Awami League distorted the history of Liberation War, "We have listening to repeated lies of a party over the last 40 years."

He then turned his attention to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the daughter of the nation’s founding father.

He dubbed her as "wrong headed" and accused the Awami League chief of trying to "deceive the people in the name of the Liberation War spirit".

Often referred to as ‘insolent’ and ‘stupid’ by his political rivals, Tarique in August had called Bangabandhu's family a "curse for Bangladesh" and the Awami League "a black sheep".

He had dubbed Bangladesh's founding father an "illegal prime minister" and on Nov 7 demanded his trial for 'treason'.

The BNP leader also contended that Sheikh Mujibur Rahhman had returned home 'with a Pakistani passport' in 1972.

A Dhaka court has issued a warrant for his arrest on Dec 10 in a libel case filed over the claim.