BNP-Jamaat means terrorism, militancy
Blaming the opposition leader for killing 22 Awami League leaders and workers and injuring many more during the August 21 grenade attack in 2004, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday urged Khaleda Zia to shun the politics of killing and nurturing terrorists by her party BNP and its ally Jamaat-e-Islami.
“She (Khaleda) tried to kill me. I want to ask her why she claimed the lives of so many people. She must shun the politics of killing people and nurturing terrorists by her party,” Hasina said hoping that there will be no recurrence of such heinous incident in the country ever.
The Prime Minister further said, “BNP-Jamaat was involved in that attack, opposition leader’s son (Tarique Rahman) and her cabinet members were also involved …investigation has unfolded that.
She was addressing a function at her official residence Ganobhaban this afternoon, marking the distribution of cheques and savings certificates among 66 family members of the deceased and injured in that grenade attack.
After the present government assumed office, the premier said, proper investigation was launched into the attack which made public everything.
Hasina said such grenade attack in broad daylight is perhaps a rare incident in the world history as the attack was unleashed at a time when thousands of AL leaders and workers along with common people were holding a rally protesting the oppression and terrorism by the BNP-Jamaat men.
“You know better that their main goal was to kill me and create a vacuum in the AL leadership and thus eliminate the party,” she added.
The Prime Minister said her party lost 22 AL leaders and workers in that horrified grenade attack, including devoted Ivy Rahman, beloved wife of late President Zillur Rahman, while many leaders and activists injured in it have been enduring the pain and agony of splinters.
She blamed the then BNP-Jamaat government for making a safe passage for fleeing the attackers saying, “Instead of going for rescuing the injured and sending them to hospital, police charged batons and lobbed teargas shells so that the attackers could flee the scene.”
Hasina went on: “The police and the other law enforcement agencies played the role of silent spectators on that day, even they didn’t take step to save the evidences. And no investigation was conducted and there was no attempt to hunt down the perpetrators.”
She also alleged that even some of the BNP-Jamaat-backed doctors did not attend the injured AL leaders and workers at the hospitals. “But, I took attempt to rescue the injured and ensured their treatment through sending my party men to different hospitals.”
Mentioning that many bomb and grenade attacks were unleashed during the tenure of the BNP-Jamaat government in Narayanganj, Sunamganj and Sylhet like the grenade attack on AL leader and former Finance Minister Shah AMS Kibria, Hasina said that BNP-Jamaat means nurturing terrorists and patronising terrorism and militancy.
During their tenure, a bomb attack was launched in 500 separate placed across the country and they tried to eliminate their rivals.
After the present government assumed power, the Prime Minister said, she tried to help those oppressed and injured by the BNP-Jamaat, and sought doa (good wishes) from the family members of the August 21 grenade attack victims so that she could serve the country as well as the nation.
Hasina also hoped that democratic system would be maintained in the country and Bangladesh would move ahead towards prosperity.
Bangabandhu Memorial Trust members Sheikh Kabir Hossain, Nur-e Alam Chowdhury Liton, eminent lawyers Adv Anisul Huq, AL leader Faridunnahar Laily, Fazilatunnesa Indira, MP and PM’s Press Secretary Abul Kamal Azad were present on the occasion.
Source: UNB Connect
