Khaleda followed Zia’s path by rewarding Bangabandhu's killers, says PM Hasina

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia followed her husband Ziaur Rahman's path by ‘rewarding’ the assassins of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said.

Hasina made the remarks during a discussion on Sunday, marking the birth centenary of her father Bangabandhu.

“Zia was involved in the killings of the Father of the Nation and the four national leaders. He orchestrated multiple coups by killing many army personnel. Khaleda did the same thing.”

“Ziaur Rahman placed people like Abdul Alim, Moulana Mannan and Shah Aziz in high-ranking positions like minister, prime minister and adviser.  Similarly, Khaleda Zia rewarded Nizami, killer Rashid, Huda and others involved in the killing of intellectuals by making them ministers. She rigged the Feb 15 election in 1996 and made them leaders of the opposition.”

On Aug 15, 1975, a group of rogue army officers killed Bangabandhu and most of his family. The assassins did not even spare a 10-year-old boy or a pregnant woman in one of the bloodiest political assassinations the world has ever seen.

“Forty-five years have passed. We find it astonishing that the person who brought us independence, who gave us our identity, dignity as a nation, was killed on this same soil,” Hasina said.

“He confronted death many times, but always moved forward with his ideology - the one that saw him sacrifice his life for the benefit of the Bengali nation. He never looked back or wavered even when he was jailed or tortured.”

Bangabandhu's assassination was part of a plot to destroy the ideology under which Bangladesh attained its independence, according to the prime minister.

“Pakistan could never acknowledge their defeat to Bangladesh, nor could those who supported Pakistan during the Liberation War. The conspiracy was afoot, which many of us did not realise.”

Hasina expressed her gratitude to India and the then prime minister Indira Gandhi for supporting Bangladesh's struggle for independence.

It was the time when people of the country should have stood beside Bangabandhu, she said while recalling his homecoming on Jan 10, 1972.

“Unfortunately, a group of people began to criticise him only to pave the way for his assassination,” she said.

Honest criticism is necessary for the betterment of people but Bangabandhu was criticised in order to diminish his popularity among the masses, according to Hasina.

“They [Col Faruque and Col Rashid] tried for a long time to detach Bangabandhu from the people but were never successful. So they assassinated him,” Hasina said, citing the interviews of Bangabandhu’s killers Col Syed Faruque Rahman and Col Abdur Rashid with BBC.

Both Faruque and Rashid admitted that Ziaur Rahman was complicit in the plot against Bangabandhu, she said.

The prime minister highlighted the incidents following the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib in 1975, including Zia's becoming the army chief and later president as 'proof' of his involvement with Khandakar Mushtaque.

“While in power, Ziaur Rahman disregarded the constitution, killed army personnel who were freedom fighters. It was the time when the four national leaders were killed in jail. Awami League leaders and activists were killed and their bodies went missing. He brought back those who fled to Pakistan. He made those involved in war crimes ministers and advisers,” she said.

The prime minister also questioned the motives of the people who supported Zia.

“Those who believe in the spirit of the Liberation War and independence -- can they ever do it? Some people try to support them even now. It was the root of all evil and bloodshed in the country as part of a deep conspiracy that was hatched soon after Bangladesh became a sovereign nation.”

Hasina highlighted the futile efforts to erase the name of Bangabandhu from history and the deep love that people have for him.

“The entire nation, except for those few killers and ungrateful people, cry for the Father of the Nation. They tried for 21 years to obliterate the memory of Bangabandhu but failed. Today, his name shines globally.”