Tarique also terms Mujib family ‘curse for Bangladesh’
BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman has alleged that the people who prepared the ground for assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman are now on the Sheikh Hasina-led cabinet.
Tarique, also the elder son of the party chief Khaleda Zia, termed Bangabandhu’s family “not only a killer family but also as curse for the country”.
Tarique made the allegations while addressing a seminar at Queen Mary University in London yesterday.
“Those who prepared the ground of Sheikh Mujib’s killing…, told the media that Sheikh Mujib was an autocrat, and those who administered and attended the oath-taking of Khandaker Mushtaq Ahmed’s cabinet are now ministers and leaders of Sheikh Hasina (cabinet),” he said.
Hasina is included them in her cabinet only to cling to power, he alleged further.
Referring to a recent rally addressed by the PM, Tarique said Hasina termed Khandaker Mushtaq, who became president after the August 15, 1975 massacre of Bangabandhu, as a black sheep of Awami League.
“But those who prepared the ground for Mujib killing then are now in Hasina’s party and illegal government. So, it can be summed up that Awami League is indeed a party of black sheep.”
“These black sheep” have now targeted the Zia family to hide their misdeeds, he alleged, claiming again that his father Ziar Rahman was the first president of the country and proclaimer of independence.
The tirade came three days after PM Hasina alleged that BNP founder Ziaur Rahman was behind Bangabandhu murder.
Addressing a public meeting marking 10th anniversary of the August 21 grenade attack on an Awami League rally on Bangabandhu Avenue, Hasina accused the then prime minister Khaleda Zia, her son, her cabinet members and Jamaat leaders of the attack.
Tarique blamed Sheikh Mujib for killing 30,000 people after independence of the country and said the extrajudicial killings were introduced in the country by Awami League on January 2, 1975.
“Like father, Sheikh Hasina has engrossed in killings,” he said.
The prime minister was involved with the BDR munity that killed 57 army officers, Tarique alleged.
He further claimed that many BNP leaders including Ilias Ali and Chowdhury Alam were forcibly disappeared, abducted and killed as per the instruction of Hasina.
After assuming the power illegally, Hasina introduced Bangladesh as the money-laundering country before the international arena, Tarique said.
About August 21, 2004 grenade attack, the BNP vice-chairman said Awami League was given permission for holding the rally at Muktangan on that day.
“Why the AL had decided to change the venue only in one and a half hours’ notice? It proves that Sheikh Hasina knew about the incident. She was involved with the August 21 massacre,” he added.
Source: The Daily Star
