Indicating ruling Awami League, Bangladesh Nationalist Party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said, “No doubt you have a huge contribution in the Liberation War. We do not deny that but at the same time we cannot accept if you deny the contributions of the main hero of the liberation.”
He also said people fought through so many hardships in the nine months during the Liberation War, more than 10 million people took shelter in the neighbouring country as refugees, and a huge number of women were raped. But, nowadays those things are not beings mentioned.
The BNP leader said this at a discussion, organised at the National Press Club on Tuesday afternoon as part of the party’s programmes to celebrate the golden jubilee of the Liberation War.
Joining a programme virtually from her official Gonobhaban residence in the capital, the prime minister on 8 March said that the leaders of the BNP would not realise the language and essence of the historic 7 March speech as the party was formed by military dictator Ziaur Rahman who had killed the Father of the Nation and grabbed power violating the country’s Constitution and took part in the genocide on 25 and 26 March in 1971 as a Pakistani army officer.
“Someone said today that Ziaur Rahman took part in the genocide on 25 and 26 March in 1971. This is nothing but preposterous,” said Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.
Indicating the ruling party leaders, the BNP secretary general further said, “We want to say it clearly that we want to inform the future generation about whatever contributions whoever have in the Liberation War. And that’s why you have started getting offended. You are talking incoherent like a outrageous person. Those do not contain even an iota of truth.”
BNP standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain joined the programme as the president. He said, “Awami League started feeling prickly since we announced to mark the 7 March. Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader first welcomed us, later he said that was our hypocrisy.”
Professor Mahbub Ullah, chairman of a faction of Jatiya party Mostofa Jamal Haider, BNP standing committee meber Iqbal Hsan Mahmud and party chairperson’s advisory council member Abdus Salam also addressed the programme.
The discussants also mentioned Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhasani as the ‘first visionary’ of Liberation.
