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PM-DAY-MOURNING-DISCUSSION-LEAD
Bangladesh won’t see killers reign again: PM
(ADDS details)
DHAKA, Aug 16, 2018 (BSS) – Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today expressed
her firm optimism against the return of killers reign saying the people of
Bangladesh would not let the nation plunged into their grasp ever in future.
“Reign of killers will never return to Bangladesh . . . the people will not
allow them to grab the power again,” she told a National Mourning Day
discussion organized by Awami League at Bangabandhu International Conference
Centre (BICC).
The premier, however, simultaneously sought people’s vigilance “as a vested
quarter is genealogically conspiring against the country to play foul with
the people’s fate”.
Sheikh Hasina was addressing as the Awami League president the discussion,
which the party organized to mark Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman’s 43rd martyrdom anniversary.
“Those who want to make their gain keeping the gun on children’s shoulder
actually want to push the country to darkness,” she said in an oblique
reference to vested groups’ infiltration to the young students’ campaign for
road safety.
She said those who killed Bangabandhu and the four national leaders in
their desperate effort to erase all spirit of the Liberation War “don’t want
to change the people’s lot in this country” though the independence came
under his leadership to change the lots of every downtrodden people.
“A group of people joined the war of liberation. But they had no faith in
the spirit of the war,” the premier said.
Awami League’s Advisory Council member Tofail Ahmed, Presidium members
Advocate Sahara Khatun and Mohammad Nasim and General Secretary Obaidul Kader
and Awami League-led alliance partner Bangladesh Samyabadi Dal’s General
Secretary Dilip Barua, spoke on the occasion.
Awami League Joint Secretary Jahangir Kabir Nanak, central leaders Simin
Hossain Rimi, MP, SM Rezaul Karim and Anwar Hossain also took part in the
discussion.
Terming the carnage of August 15, 1975 as the most stigmatized day in the
nation’s history the Prime Minister said such heinous crime didn’t happened
second one in the world history.
“On this day the assailants killed not only the president of a country,
but carried out the world’s most barbaric carnage . . . they killed innocent
people, women and children in three houses in one night,” she said.
The premier said Bangabandhu had fully concentrated in building the
country after independence and the country would have emerged as a developed
one within ten years of independence had he been alive.
“But, being failed to thwart Bangladesh’s progress the anti-liberation
forces started to hatch conspiracy and found with them the force which had no
faith in Liberation War spirit,” she said.
As the leader of a new born country Bangabandhu needed few more years to
build the nation recovering the damages caused by the war as such time was
needed in many other newly emerged states in the world.
“But, unfortunately, a section of freedom fighters joined hands with the
anti-liberation force. They could not understand the reality and became
inimical to Bangabandhu government,” Sheikh Hasina said.
She added: “Their role created the ground for the history’s most barbaric
act to take place on August 15, 1975.”
Sheikh Hasina recalled with grief that the country saw division among
freedom fighters with the emergence of JSD in the political scene and they
started criticizing Bangabandhu on all issues while “they started disliking
his every action”.
“JSD started opposing the Father of the Nation using filthy languages.
But, did they realize the consequences of their actions, how harmful it could
be for the country’s independence?” she said.
The premier, however, said she believed JSD did not have that realization
and otherwise they would have given Bangabandhu some time to consolidate the
foundation of the independence.
Sheikh Hasina also recalled that immediately after assassinating
Bangabandhu the killers renamed Bangladesh as Islamic Republic of Bangladesh
like Pakistan and launched a vigorous hate campaign against Bangabandhu at
home and abroad.
The top two perpetrators of Bangabandhu murder — Farook and Rashid — in
an interview with British journalist Anthony Mascarenhas confessed that they
killed Bangabandhu after their desperate attempts to make him unpopular
through propaganda failed.
The premier identified Ziaur Rahman as the key shadow man behind the
Bangabandhu murder saying Khandakar Mostaque appeared as the country’s
president in line with Zia’s blueprint though the country’s constitution
never permitted him to assume that office.
Zia, she said, eventually emerged in the scene usurping power toppling
subsequent president justice Sayem at gunpoint within few days.
Sheikh Hasina said Major Dalim, one of the killers of Bangabandhu and
Major General Ziaur Rahman and his wife used to come to Bangabandhu’s house
almost every day.
“Was it part of the conspiracy?” she asked.
BSS/AKH/AR/2306 hrs