Staff Correspondent
The leader of the opposition in parliament, Khaleda Zia, on Thursday said conspiracies were on to divide the people amid a national crisis by spreading hatred and pitting one side against another.
‘Bangladesh is under attack. The attack is on country’s independence, sovereignty and national security and we must be united to repulse the attack,’ she said while inaugurating the party’s mourning procession in memory of the officers slain in the Bangladesh Rifles headquarters on February 25.
‘Conspiracies are continuing to divide the nation by pitting one group against another and spreading hatred and vengeance. Those who involved in such acts are enemies of the nation. They want to endanger national security. They are agents of alien forces and should be identified,’ Khaleda said.
‘A large number of brilliant and efficient officers were herded together and massacred. It was a conspiracy against the armed forces, a conspiracy to tarnish their honour and image and to put them face to face with the people… The conspiracy began much earlier through arresting us,’ she said.
Khaleda said instead of realising the gravity of the situation, the present government was claiming its success [in tackling the rebellion]. ‘The BDR director general had contacted the prime minister. If the army had been instructed to go on operation in time we would not have lost so many officers. Why such delay? It should be found out whether there was any conspiracy behind the delay.’
The BNP chief said the government must admit its failure in resolving the crisis at the BDR headquarters.
‘We called for national unity and offered support to the government, but our call went unheeded. The government is rather attacking the opposition in parliament and outside,’ she said accusing the government of being narrow-minded. ‘Despite that I would again say it is a conspiracy against the country and we need unity. If they invite us even now, we would respond,’ Khaleda said.
Khaleda accused the prime minister of giving wrong and false information in the house and elsewhere. It is despicable to provide false information in parliament but the prime minister herself is doing so,’ she said.
‘We do not think Bangladeshis can perpetrate such barbaric act in Pilkhana. The killers were brought from outside and sent inside in BDR uniforms. Newspaper reports say how they entered the place and how they got out. Time was wasted to allow them to get away. The military was not allowed to go on operation,’ she said.
‘The perpetrators of the massacre, whatever their position may be, have to be identified and punished after trial. They must not be let off the hook. If the perpetrators were spared, history would one day brand the government as “traitors”,’ she added.
Citing a newspaper report that an influential person had helped four of the culprits to fly out of the country by delaying the flight for two hours, Khaleda said the people wanted to know the person’s identity and the government’s version on the allegation.
‘The BDR incidents made it clear the agents of enemies have penetrated everywhere. They are attacking Bangladesh from within. We have to remain alert and united. Be united wherever you are, otherwise the nation will lose its sovereignty,’ she said.
‘What the nation can expect of the government? What have you done in the past two months? Killing, robbery and mugging are taking place everyday. Prices of essentials are yet to come down. They did not implement a single election pledge,’ Khaleda said.
Khaleda led the procession in a sun-roof vehicle, that terminated in front of the National Press Club. Party secretary general Khandaker Delwar Hossain, standing committee members Moudud Ahmed, Khandker Mosharraf Hossain, vice-chairman Sarwari Rahman, joint secretaries general Nazrul Islam Khan, Selima Rahman, Mizra Abbas and Gayshwar Chandra Roy, and leaders of the national executive committee and front organisations participated in the procession.
District and upazila units of the party also brought out mourning processions.
Courtesy of www.newagebd.com
