Zia, Khaleda went for politics of killings

Banglapress Desk: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday accused former president Ziaur Rahman and his wife Khaleda Zia of resorting to the politics of killings and enacting indemnity laws to save the killers of Bangabandhu and Awami League leaders and activists. "After assuming the office through the October 1, 2001, farcical national election, Khaleda Zia had started indiscriminate killings of people following the footsteps of her husband Ziaur Rahman," she said. Referring to the killing of numerous innocent people, including AL leaders and activists, in the name of the so-called "Operation Clean Heart", Hasina, also the AL president, said the BNP-Jamaat alliance government initiated the culture of extrajudicial killings in the country through it. The PM said this while taking part in a virtual discussion through a videoconference from the Gono Bhaban marking the National Mourning Day and the 45th anniversary of martyrdom of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The AL organised the discussion at its central office at Bangabandhu Avenue in the afternoon. Hasina said Khaleda had given indemnity to the wholesale killings after assuming the office in 2001 so that trials of those crimes could not be held as her husband did the same thing with giving indemnity to the killers of Bangabandhu. She accused again Ziaur Rahman of his involvement in the killing of Bangabandhu, saying that he gave all sorts of support to the killers. "Zia even gave lucrative foreign postings to the killers of Bangabandhu, while his wife brought self-confessed killer of Bangabandhu to parliament by rigging votes," she added. AL General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader gave introductory speech while the party's Publicity and Publication Secretary Abdus Sobhan Golap moderated the function. At the beginning of the discussion, a one-minute silence was observed as a mark of profound respect to the memories of Bangabandhu and other martyrs of the August 15 carnage. BSS BP/SM