AL unleashed mayhem after independence: Mirza Fakhrul

The Bangladesh Awami League unleashed mayhem and created a reign of looting after the country had gained independence, alleged opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

Shattering the Constitution they drew up, they enforced emergency, introduced special powers act and finally established one-party BaKSAL (Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League) system, he added.

The BNP secretary general said these while addressing a programme marking 42nd death anniversary of the party’s founder Ziaur Rahman at the party chairperson’s Gulshan office on Friday morning.

Mirza Fakhrul said when Ziaur Rahman was given responsibilities through the revolution of the soldiers and the people he established multi-party democracy in the country. He also remarked what the prime minister said claiming Ziaur Rahman was involved with the incidents of 15 August, 1975 as falsification of history.

Mirza Fakhrul further said they now weave some stories from their figments of imagination that Shaheed Ziaur Rahman was involved with the murder of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. They have been doing this just to distort the history. The government has been saying these for deviating the people’s movement, being waged to restore democracy. But BNP did not even come into existence that time, he added.

He said Ziaur Rahman was not the chief of army that time, he was the deputy chief. The then chiefs of three service -- army, navy and air force -- pledged their allegiances through salutation to the government of Khandaker Mushtaque after that accident (the killing of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman).

Mirza Fakhrul Islam also remarked that the contributions of Ziaur Rahman cannot be obliterated through falsification. “We cannot even forget that the body of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was lying on the floor … then the Awami League leaders formed that government. Those who are spreading the false propaganda that Ziaur Rahman was involved with the incident; they are doing this with the only intention of denigrating him and obliterating him from the history completely. But that is not possible.”

Mirza Fakhrul said the people who create history; those who wage war to give birth a nation; those who lay foundation to everything for building a nation for the people’s welfare, such people cannot be sent into oblivion in this way.

He also recounted the steps taken during the three and a half years tenure of Ziaur Rahman to build a modern state.

Later, an essay competition was organised marking the day. Professor AFM Yusuf Haider presided over the programme where BNP’s education affiars secretary ABM Obaidul Islam and chairperson’s advisory council member Abdus Salam also spoke.