ZCZC
BSS-06
PM-DISCUSSION-AUGUST 21 2 DHAKA
Citing the unbridled corruption committed by the BNP-Jamaat nexus, the prime minister said: “We see that they’re now uttering tall talks (against graft). But they forgot that Bangladesh became champion for the five consecutive times in corruption in the world during their rule … everybody knows it well.”
Hinting at Tarique Rahman, son of BNP Chief Khaleda Zia, Sheikh Hasina said the BNP made such a big amount of money that one of the convicts of the August 21 grenade attack is leading a lavish life abroad.
“We can’t lead such a life, but they can do it … from where they’re getting this money and (it’s heard) they’re collecting money from ‘juar adda’ (gathering of gambling),” she said.
The premier said Khaleda Zia after assuming office established reign of terror across the country following the footprints of her husband military dictator Ziaur Rahman.
She said Ziaur Rahman rewarded the Bangabandhu’s killers by giving postings them to Bangladesh missions abroad.
“Ziaur Rahman was very close to killers Farook and Rashid it was revealed from their interviews they (Farook-Rashid) gave to different media including BBC and it’s also clear like the daylight that Zia had a link with the killers later,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina said Zia’s wife Khaleda Zia, after coming to power, staged the August 21 grisly grenade attack and her son Tarique Rahman was involved in it.
“The plots and where and how they hatched conspiracies to commit the attack were unearthed from the confession of those who carried out the attack,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina mentioned that some days before the rally, Begum Zia had said that the Awami League will not be able to go to power in 100 years and ” I would never be the prime minister or even the leader of the opposition in future”.
“How Khaleda Zia made such a forecast. Because their conspiracies were to kill me, otherwise they could not be made anything. If we follow their comments, these plots will come out,” she said.
The premier said Awami League arranged the rally in front of the party office on August 21, 2004 for peace and in protest against terrorist activities of the militants across the country including an attack on the then British high commissioner at the shrine of Hazrat Shahjalal (R) in Sylhet.
Recalling the terrible scene of grenade attack, Sheikh Hasina, who was the leader of the opposition in parliament at the time, said the party leaders and activists including Mohammad Hanif saved her life by creating a human shield.
“Thirteen grenades were hurled at the makeshift dais on a truck and two/three more grenades remained unexploded,” she said.
Holding the BNP government responsible for destroying the evidence of the grenade attack, Sheikh Hasina questioned that if the BNP was not involved in the carnage, why they damaged the evidence?
After the grenade attack, the city corporation whose mayor was Sadeq Hossain Khoka washed the entire area by pouring water to erase all evidence, the premier said.
“Khaleda Zia sacked an army officer who wanted to keep an unexploded grenade as an evidence … it’s meaning that they did not want to keep a single evidence of the attack,” she said.
MORE/SH/GMR/1325 hrs