Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has announced that individuals who worked behind the scenes to smuggle in 10 trucks of weapons and ammunition in 2004 will be put on trial, now that the gunrunners have been convicted.
Her remarks came during an unscheduled discussion in Parliament on Tuesday amid the BNP’s allegation that attempts were being made to implicate Khaleda Zia and her son Tarique Rahman in the incident.
The verdict on the 10-truck arms haul cases last Thursday, which handed death penalty to 14 people including ministers of the then Khaleda government Matiur Rahman Nizami and Lutfozzaman Babar, had questioned the former Prime Minister’s ‘silence’ about the seizure.
Awami League Presidium member Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim started the discussion in Parliament on Tuesday referring to the court’s observation before demanding that Khaleda be tried as well.
Joining the discussion, Agriculture Minister Maita Chowdhury said, “Khaleda Zia was the Defence Minister. She was also in charge of the home ministry.
“She cannot avoid her responsibility. She should be the main accused if there was a supplementary chargesheet.”
Later, Leader of the Parliament Hasina said, “During the hearing in this case, Hawa Bhaban’s [Khaleda’s former political office] involvement in this came as reference.
“The BNP chief’s name also came up during the depositions. Supplementary chargesheet has also been submitted. The trial has ended.”
“Those who were involved in this conspiracy should be tried too. Involvement of Hawa Bhaban and BNP will be tried. This is a must,” she declared.
“The then Prime Minister was silent when DGFI notified [her] about this. New investigation will be launched to see whether Hawa Bhaban and the BNP chief were involved.
“Where did those (weapons) come from, who were behind this, will be found through investigation. We will punish them,” Hasina continued.
The Awami League President was pleased with the verdict on the cases filed over the seizure of the huge cache of arms and ammunitions in April, 2004, during the BNP-led government’s tenure.
“What will happen to the country’s security if NSI and DGFI are used [for this]?” she said referring to involvement of the National Security Intelligence (NSI) officials during offloading of the arms.
The court’s verdict said the arms and ammunition were being smuggled in to strengthen Indian separatist group ULFA. Assistance from the government and private quarters had helped smuggle these weapons into Bangladesh.
Hasina said Khaleda had spoken in support of the separatists in the seven Indian states.
The Prime Minister also thanked the two police officials – Sergeants Alauddin and Helal Uddin – who played the key role in seizure of those arms in 2004.
Awami League leader Sheikh Selim said these two officers should be rewarded.
Police had seized 10 trucks of weapons and ammunition from the state-owned Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Ltd (CUFL) jetty on the banks of Karnafuli River in Chittagong’s Anwara while being offloaded from two fishing trawlers in the early hours of April 2, 2004.
Around 1,500 boxes containing submachine guns, AK-47 assault rifles, submachine carbines, Chinese pistols, rocket shells and launchers, hand grenades and bullets were seized.
Later that day, Karnafuli Police Station’s OC Ahadur Rahman had filed two separate cases.
The verdict on the cases came on Jan 30, nearly 10 years after the seizure that took the nation by surprise and had caused a furore.
A Chittagong court sentenced 14 people including Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami, former State Minister for Home Lutfozzaman Babar and ULFA’s military wing chief Paresh Barua to death along with 11 others for smuggling the weapons.
The 14 were also given life imprisonment in the second case filed under the Arms Act.
Source: Bd news24
