Zia instigated Bangabandhu Killing: Awami League Leaders

Awami League presidium member Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim on Friday said BNP founder Ziaur Rahman did the most harm to the country. He was addressing a discussion organised by Dhaka City (South) Bangladesh Chattra League to mark the National Mourning Day in front of Awami League central office in the city. Sheikh Selim alleged that Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was killed at the instigation of Zia. If Zia wanted, he could resist the killers, he said adding, "If he had resisted the killers, the history of the country could have been different." If there was no instigation of Zia, Bangabandhu would not have been assassinated, he said. After the killing of Bangabandhu, Khondoker Moshtaque introduced the Indemnity Ordinance to save the killers and later Zia passed it as a bill in the parliament, he recalled. Along with creating obstacles in the trial of Bangabandhu's killers, Zia also freed 22,000 Rajakars from jails, he added. Criticising the opposition parties, Selim said, Awami League is not afraid of any movement. "We know how to resist a movement as Awami League was born through a movement," he said. Senior Awami League leader Mohammad Nasim on Friday said a vested quarter had been hatching a conspiracy to kill Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her strong stance against militancy. "People, who had killed the Father of the Nation and most of his family members in August, 1975, have been trying to kill Sheikh Hasina as they think she is the only one who stands in the way of a militant state," he said while addressing a discussion at Dhaka Reporters Unity in the city. The former home minister also alleged that militants, Hawa Bhaban, BNP and a section of foreign conspirators were involved in the grisly August 21 grenade attack on an AL rally, that left 24 killed on the spot and many other badly injured. "The attack was carried out with a view to killing Sheikh Hasina to make Bangladesh a safe home for militancy," he said, adding that if they were successful in their attempt, the country would face Pakistan-like situation. He came down heavily on the opposition chief Khaleda Zia for celebrating her birthday on the National Mourning Day. "Even the Indian High Commission in Dhaka did not take any programmes on August 15, the day of its independence, as a mark of respect to Bangabandhu," he said.