Khaleda claims Zia first president

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chairperson Khaleda Zia on Thursday claimed that former president Ziaur Rahman was the first president of independent Bangladesh.

She said this at a discussion organised by the Jatiyatabadi Muktijoddha Dal at the Institute of Engineers’ in Dhaka. 

Freedom fighters were honoured at the programme where Khaleda, widow of Ziaur Rahman, also received felicitation as a freedom fighter. 

Khaleda said while no one dared to say words in 1971, Ziaur Rahman declared independence of the country. 

Earlier BNP senior vice-president Tarique Rahman, while addressing a discussion in London on Tuesday, claimed that the party’s founder Ziaur Rahman, also father of Tarique, was the first president of Bangladesh.

But the party website refers that Major General Ziaur Rahman is the Seventh President of Bangladesh.
Link of the party website is http://bangladeshnationalistparty-bnp.org/content.aspx?tablename=webitem2&id=9&child=null&parentid=null