Removal of Zia's grave from parliament complex will ignite a civil war in Bangladesh, BNP warns

The government is pushing Bangladesh towards a 'civil war' with its move to relocate BNP founder Ziaur Rahman's grave from parliament complex, the party says.

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi made the comments at a discussion on Sunday.

"Honourable prime minister (Sheikh Hasina), I want to tell you that you are pushing the country towards an inevitable civil war.

"You won't be able to fulfil the conspiracy to wipe off the respect the people have in their hearts for Ziaur Rahman even with the help of police and RAB," he said.

Zia came to power after a military coup on Aug 15, 1975 in which Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and most of his family members were killed.

He himself was assassinated in an abortive coup on May 30, 1981 and his grave was relocated from Chittagong to the parliament area. The BNP, the party he founded in the late 1970s, was in power at the time.

The design of the parliament complex, the brainchild of celebrated US architect Louis I Kahn, was violated over time by several other establishments in the parliament compound.

Several graves were dug in the area including those of Zia, and Khan A Sabur and Shah Azizur Rahman, both of whom collaborated with the Pakistani junta and opposed Bangladesh's independence in 1971.

Housing and Public Works Minister Mosharraf Hossain recently said all the graves, including Zia's one, would be relocated after getting Kahn's original plan. The original design arrived last week.

Rizvi claimed Hasina moved to relocate the grave of Zia because she "could not bear that Zia, instead of her father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, proclaimed independence".

"Ziaur Rahman was denied the post of army chief even though he was senior. Because you (Awami League) can't tolerate him. And now you are conspiring again out of envy," he said.

"But you won't be able to do what you want."