Hasina’s remark on Zia’s grave absurd: BNP

Hasina’s remark on Zia’s grave absurd: BNP

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Thursday termed absurd the Prime Minister’s remark that Ziaur Rahman’s body is not there at Chandrima Udyan graveyard, saying that it has exposed her political vengeance.

“The president of Awami League, who declared herself the prime minister through late-night voting, has once again spitted venom against Ziaur Rahman and talked about his grave and role in the Liberation War. It’s a ridiculous statement,” he said.

Speaking at a virtual discussion, he also said it is a truth like the daylight that Zia fought in the battlefield and led the war in 1971.

“Thousands of people in the country cried for him [Zia] on the day he was assassinated and joined his Janaza on Manik Mia Avenue, exhibiting his immense popularity,” the BNP leader said.

Earlier in the day, the prime minister said: “BNP engaged in fights at Chandrima Udyan. Doesn't the BNP know that there's no grave or body of Zia, or Zia is not there? They know it very well! If so, why do they stage the drama? Khaleda Zia is also aware of it.”

 

While addressing a program virtually from her official residence Ganabhaban, Sheikh Hasina also said whether Khaleda Zia or Tarique Zia could claim that they saw Zia’s body in the box (which was brought from Chittagong) as a bullet-hit body can easily be recognized. “No one saw it as there was no body [of Zia] in the box,” she said.

Fakhrul accused the Awami League of committing an act of treason by violating the country’s constitution. “They’ve killed democracy and snatched voting rights of people, turning Bangladesh into a vassal state.”

He said Bangladeshi nationalism and the nation’s existence would be at stake if Awami League stays in power for a long time.

Earlier, while inaugurating BNP’s Covid Help Centre at Dhaka-10 constituency, Fakhrul called upon the party leaders and activists for making preparations for a tough movement to oust the current government.

“If we can’t remove Awami League from power, we won’t be able to free Khaleda Zia and get rid of thousands of false cases. So, we must take to the streets and defeat this regime,” he said.

Fakhrul said BNP has no other option but to put up a strong resistance against the current government to ‘restore’ democracy and people’s voting and all other rights. “The youth must wake up and lead the movement for bringing a change in power demonstrating their courage.”