Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman never wanted Bangladesh to be free from Pakistan, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has said.
Instead, it was her husband, Ziaur Raman, who sought freedom, Khaleda said while exchanging greetings with representatives of the Buddhist community at her Gulshan office on Saturday, the day of Buddha Purnima.
Khaleda also said the Bangabandhu’s Awami League, the party that led the Bengalis in the struggle for independence, was not a pro-Liberation War party at all.
She argued BNP founder Zia ‘fought’ during the War, while the Bangabandhu was ‘relaxing’ in Pakistan.
“Awami League dared not proclaim the independence. Ziaur Rahman proclaimed the independence and the people fought the war while they (Awami League) were at ease crossing the border,” she said.
“The man (Bangabandhu), who was supposed to proclaim the independence, went to Pakistan packing his tobacco pipe. He spent the days relaxing there,” Khaleda said.
“He always wanted to be the prime minister of Pakistan. He didn’t want Bangladesh’s independence,” she added.
Her comments are apparently a sequel of her son Tarique Rahman’s remarks.
The High Court has banned the broadcast, publication and dissemination of his speeches and statements after the ‘fugitive’ BNP leader, now in London, made controversial remarks on Bangladesh’s history.
source: bdnews24