'Ershad a habitual liar'

Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh (BDB) president AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury on Sunday branded Jatiya Party chairman HM Ershad as a ‘compulsive and pathological’ liar.

The BDB chief made the counter-attack a day after Ershad hinted that B Chowdhury had a hand in the killing of Bangladesh Nationalist Party founder Zaiur Rahman.

Addressing a meeting of Jatiya Jubo Sanghati at the Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh on Saturday, Ershad said, “I know who was there in his next room when Zia was assassinated. Khaleda Zia did politics with them for nearly 20 years. Why didn’t you (Khaleda) hold the trial for the killing when you were in power? Why are you now calling me a killer?”

Ershad came up with the remarks as BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia at programme on 4 May called Ershad a killer of Major General Abul Manzur and Ziaur Rahman.

Referring to the Jatiya Party chief’s comment that who was in Zia’s next room, B Chowdhury said Ershad by his remarks clearly pointed figure at him.

He termed Ershad’s remark false and motivated. “Ershad’s remark has proved again how a person can stoop so low to have cheaper clapping from his own party men by maligning an honest man.”

The BDB chief claimed that he was not alone in the next rooms of Zia on the fateful night he was assassinated at the Chittagong Circuit House.

B Chowdhury, a close associate of Zia, said he was in a room beside Zia with then state minister for manpower Mohibul Hasan while another minister Amina Rahman and Sramik Dal leader Nizam Chowdhury stayed other rooms beside Zia on the night.

He said Mohibul and he also had give testimony to the judicial probe panel formed by the then government which did not find their involvement in Zia’s murder. “So, Ershad’s allegation brought after so many years has proved false and motivated.”

Mentioning that Ershad was the direct beneficiary of Zia’s killing as he became president, the BDB chief said the former military ruler was the mastermind of general Manzur.

He claimed had Manzur been alive the involvement of Ershad in Zia’s killing would have exposed blatantly.

B Chowdhury also hoped that the justice regarding for the killing of Manzur and Zia will be ensured if the trial is held.