Explain ISI funding, Hasina asks Khaleda
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday called upon her arch rival Khaleda Zia to explain in public why she had taken money, as had been alleged, from Pakistani intelligence agency.
Referring to media report that Khaleda took money from Pakistan’s Inter Service Intelligence before 1991 elections, the prime minister said the opposition leader was serving the interest of a country, which conceded defeat to Bangladeshies in 1971 war of liberation. “She (Khaleda) has sold the country’s (Bangladesh) interest to Pakistan by taking the money. She must answer as people want to know why she had taken funds from ISI (Inter Service Intelligence),” the prime minister said.
Hasina, also the chief of ruling Awami League, was addressing a crowd of several hundred thousands party supporters before they started a colourful procession from Suhrawardy Udyan marking the 41st anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s de-facto declaration of Bangladesh’s independence in 1971 in his historic March 7 speech.
The AL chief said that the people would never pardon the opposition leader as she was trying to make Pakistan happy by taking the side of war criminals who collaborated with the then Pakistani occupation forces and killed freedom loving people, and looted numerous homesteads.
Hasina reiterated her pledge for holding the war crimes trial saying that the opposition leader would not be able to save the perpetrators of the crimes against humanity committed during the liberation war.
“Do you want to protect the war criminals? You will not be able to save them. War crimes trial will take place on Bangladesh soil, God willing,” the prime minister said pointing to opposition leader Kahleda Zia’s alleged attempt to foil the on-going trial.
The Ziaur Rahman government awarded the killers of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with diplomatic jobs after they were given indemnity.
“Those killers were executed, and the war criminals will also be tried,” she said.
The crowd also chorused for speedy trial of the “branded” criminals who collaborated with the Pakistani forces to unleash atrocities on civilians during the war.
People from different parts of the capital and its adjoining areas thronged beside the Udyan (formerly known as Race Course Ground) from where Bangabandhu had made the clarion call for Bangladesh’s liberation which inspired the nation to win victory in the following nine-month armed struggle culminating on December 16, 1971.
The Awami League’s programme is apparently a showdown against the Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s planned march towards Dhaka on March 12 over its demand for revival of constitutional provision of caretaker administration to oversee the next general elections.
The ruling party terms opposition programmes a ploy to foil the war crimes trials.
The crowds congregating at the meeting venue in front of Institution of Engineers Bangladesh, spilled over to Paltan crossing, Doel crossing, Teacher-Student Centre and Shahbagh and Kataban crossing. The AL rally caused huge traffic congestion at all thoroughfares in the capital since noontime.
After the prime minister formally inaugurated the procession at around 5.30 pm, the activists marched towards Bangabandhu Bhaban, where the parade eventually terminated in the evening.
The prime minister arrived at the podium at 4.45 pm and assured the crowd that her government was keen to keep its pledge to try the perpetrators of 1971 atrocities.
Hasina expressed her gratitude to the electors as they overwhelmingly mandated her party in 2008 election to assume office paving the ways for the war crimes trial.
The opposition has chosen the month of December and March for movement to protect the collaborators, Hasina said.
“These months are memorable in our history for victory and independence. People will not allow you to implement your design,” she said adding that her government would never allow anyfoul play with the country’s independence and sovereignty.
The prime minister also called upon her party activists to remain united for smooth holding the war crimes trial as, what she said, the opposition parties were hatching conspiracies to halt the trial at any cost.
Presided over by Awami League presidium member Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, the rally was addressed, among others, by the party’s advisory board members Amir Hossain Amu and Tofail Ahmed, presidium members Matia Chowdhury and Suranjit Sengupta, General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam and Assistant General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif.
Referring to the media reports, AL General Secretary and LGRD Minister Syed Ashraful Islam said Khaldea Zia was a “paid agent” of Pakistani intelligence agency.
It has been revealed that she took 50 million rupees during the 1991 election, said the AL leader adding that how much money she had taken during the 1996, 2001 and 2008 elections would also be disclosed someday.
AL activists from different wards and adjacent areas of the capital started gathering at the Engineers Institution area from the morning turning the venue into a human sea.
Chanting slogans the processionists marched towards the venue carrying colourful banners and festoons. Wearing tea-shirts designed with the portrait of Bangabandhu, the ruling party activists filled the Shahbag area before the arrival of the party president and prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
Many of the processions had by band parties which added a festive mood to the programme.
Earlier, the day’s programme started with paying rich tributes by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by placing wreaths at his portrait in front of Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmandi in the city.
She first laid a wreath at the portrait of Bangabandhu as the prime minister.
After placing the wreath, she stood in solemn silence for sometimes as a mark of respect to the memory of the the architect of the independence.
Flanked by central leaders of the party, Hasina, also the president of Bangladesh Awami League, placed another wreath at the portrait on behalf of her party.
Ministers, state ministers, AL advisory council members, PM’s advisers, lawmakers and central leaders of the party and its associate organisations were present on the occasion.
Later, leaders and workers of Awami League’s associate organisations including, Juba League, Chhatra League, Mahila Awami League, Sramik League, Krishak League, Juba Mahila League and Swechchasebok League also paid homage to Bangabandhu by placing wreaths at his portrait on the occasion.
Referring to media report that Khaleda took money from Pakistan’s Inter Service Intelligence before 1991 elections, the prime minister said the opposition leader was serving the interest of a country, which conceded defeat to Bangladeshies in 1971 war of liberation. “She (Khaleda) has sold the country’s (Bangladesh) interest to Pakistan by taking the money. She must answer as people want to know why she had taken funds from ISI (Inter Service Intelligence),” the prime minister said.
Hasina, also the chief of ruling Awami League, was addressing a crowd of several hundred thousands party supporters before they started a colourful procession from Suhrawardy Udyan marking the 41st anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s de-facto declaration of Bangladesh’s independence in 1971 in his historic March 7 speech.
The AL chief said that the people would never pardon the opposition leader as she was trying to make Pakistan happy by taking the side of war criminals who collaborated with the then Pakistani occupation forces and killed freedom loving people, and looted numerous homesteads.
Hasina reiterated her pledge for holding the war crimes trial saying that the opposition leader would not be able to save the perpetrators of the crimes against humanity committed during the liberation war.
“Do you want to protect the war criminals? You will not be able to save them. War crimes trial will take place on Bangladesh soil, God willing,” the prime minister said pointing to opposition leader Kahleda Zia’s alleged attempt to foil the on-going trial.
The Ziaur Rahman government awarded the killers of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with diplomatic jobs after they were given indemnity.
“Those killers were executed, and the war criminals will also be tried,” she said.
The crowd also chorused for speedy trial of the “branded” criminals who collaborated with the Pakistani forces to unleash atrocities on civilians during the war.
People from different parts of the capital and its adjoining areas thronged beside the Udyan (formerly known as Race Course Ground) from where Bangabandhu had made the clarion call for Bangladesh’s liberation which inspired the nation to win victory in the following nine-month armed struggle culminating on December 16, 1971.
The Awami League’s programme is apparently a showdown against the Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s planned march towards Dhaka on March 12 over its demand for revival of constitutional provision of caretaker administration to oversee the next general elections.
The ruling party terms opposition programmes a ploy to foil the war crimes trials.
The crowds congregating at the meeting venue in front of Institution of Engineers Bangladesh, spilled over to Paltan crossing, Doel crossing, Teacher-Student Centre and Shahbagh and Kataban crossing. The AL rally caused huge traffic congestion at all thoroughfares in the capital since noontime.
After the prime minister formally inaugurated the procession at around 5.30 pm, the activists marched towards Bangabandhu Bhaban, where the parade eventually terminated in the evening.
The prime minister arrived at the podium at 4.45 pm and assured the crowd that her government was keen to keep its pledge to try the perpetrators of 1971 atrocities.
Hasina expressed her gratitude to the electors as they overwhelmingly mandated her party in 2008 election to assume office paving the ways for the war crimes trial.
The opposition has chosen the month of December and March for movement to protect the collaborators, Hasina said.
“These months are memorable in our history for victory and independence. People will not allow you to implement your design,” she said adding that her government would never allow anyfoul play with the country’s independence and sovereignty.
The prime minister also called upon her party activists to remain united for smooth holding the war crimes trial as, what she said, the opposition parties were hatching conspiracies to halt the trial at any cost.
Presided over by Awami League presidium member Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, the rally was addressed, among others, by the party’s advisory board members Amir Hossain Amu and Tofail Ahmed, presidium members Matia Chowdhury and Suranjit Sengupta, General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam and Assistant General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif.
Referring to the media reports, AL General Secretary and LGRD Minister Syed Ashraful Islam said Khaldea Zia was a “paid agent” of Pakistani intelligence agency.
It has been revealed that she took 50 million rupees during the 1991 election, said the AL leader adding that how much money she had taken during the 1996, 2001 and 2008 elections would also be disclosed someday.
AL activists from different wards and adjacent areas of the capital started gathering at the Engineers Institution area from the morning turning the venue into a human sea.
Chanting slogans the processionists marched towards the venue carrying colourful banners and festoons. Wearing tea-shirts designed with the portrait of Bangabandhu, the ruling party activists filled the Shahbag area before the arrival of the party president and prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
Many of the processions had by band parties which added a festive mood to the programme.
Earlier, the day’s programme started with paying rich tributes by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by placing wreaths at his portrait in front of Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmandi in the city.
She first laid a wreath at the portrait of Bangabandhu as the prime minister.
After placing the wreath, she stood in solemn silence for sometimes as a mark of respect to the memory of the the architect of the independence.
Flanked by central leaders of the party, Hasina, also the president of Bangladesh Awami League, placed another wreath at the portrait on behalf of her party.
Ministers, state ministers, AL advisory council members, PM’s advisers, lawmakers and central leaders of the party and its associate organisations were present on the occasion.
Later, leaders and workers of Awami League’s associate organisations including, Juba League, Chhatra League, Mahila Awami League, Sramik League, Krishak League, Juba Mahila League and Swechchasebok League also paid homage to Bangabandhu by placing wreaths at his portrait on the occasion.
Source: The Independent
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