Plot to kill Hasina designed at Hawa Bhaban, claims Tofail

Tofail Ahmed

Ruling Bangladesh Awami League (AL) leader and commerce minister Tofail Ahmed on Thursday alleged that the plot to kill AL president Sheikh Hasina was designed at Hawa Bhaban.

Hawa Bhaban was the office of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Khaleda Zia until the political changeover on 11 January 2007 when the country witnessed a takeover by a military-backed interim government.

“The 21 August grenade attack was actually attempted to kill the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, in 2004 and the plot was orchestrated at Hawa Bhaban,” said Tofail Ahmed while addressing a discussion meeting at Dhaka University’s TSC auditorium.

AL’s student organisation Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) organised the discussion marking the National Mourning Day observed on 15 August.

The commerce minister claimed that the attempt was made to kill Hasina so that no heir of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman can ascend to the power.

Referring to a demand of the opposition political parties for holding a mid-term election, the ruling party leader said there will be no election in the country before 2019 until when the tenure of the present parliament is.

Source: Prothom Alo