Staff Correspondent
The BNP chairperson, Khaleda Zia, on Tuesday demanded the removal of the home minister in the interest of a fair and neutral investigation of the killing in the Bangladesh Rifles headquarters and slated limiting the terms of reference of the committee formed to investigate the incidents.
‘The government reconstituted the probe body dropping the home minister and the state minister for law realising their mistake. But we think it is not enough. If the present home minister remains in office, the investigation process might be influenced. So I advise the prime minister to ask the home minister to resign in the interest of a fair and neutral investigation,’ Khaleda said at a briefing at her office at Gulshan at night.
Khaleda also criticised the government for limiting the terms of reference of the committee formed to investigate the killing in the BDR headquarters to only finding out the ground and the cause of the happenings and making recommendations.
‘We think all including behind-the-scene planners, instigators and persons involved with the heinous killings, looting, ransacking and repression need to be identified and exemplary punishment of the culprits has to be ensured,’ she said.
‘The investigation committee will have to be allowed to work freely and neutrally. We also demand that the terms of reference of the committee should be widened to cover everything under investigation,’ Khaleda said.
The leader of the opposition in parliament also called for making public who have been assigned to investigate the case filed with the police and regularly informing the people of the development of the investigation in a transparent way.
‘The prime minister already instructed the army conducting Operation Rebel Hunt not to arrest anybody but the BDR soldiers in hiding. I want to know whether the persons who are not BDR members but had planned and instigated the massacre would be arrested. If yes, who will arrest them?’ she asked.
‘Reports on long telephone conversations and exchange of texts and having meeting with the killers have been published in different newspapers. People want to know whether the suspects would be removed from important positions, arrested and interrogated,’ she said.
‘I said granting general amnesty was a great strategic mistake and it has been proved that the amnesty inspired the criminals to kill and repress people and loot valuables. They could dump the bodies in mass graves and flee during the long period. The amnesty has failed and I suggest the prime minister to withdraw it,’ she said.
‘Allegations of having links with the criminals have been made against the persons who had negotiated with the rebels from the government. I also demand investigation of their roles,’ she said.
Refuting the prime minister’s speech in the parliament, Khaleda said getting to know of the massacre on February 25, she went straight to her office at Gulshan, discussed it with the central leaders and waited till evening for a call from the government.
‘But the prime minister said she had failed to trace me. It was clear that she had no mentality to trace me or accept my cooperation as she made fun of the killing in the BDR headquarters saying it was not her daughter’s wedding which requires people to be invited to,’ Khaleda said.
‘Not only me, she also ridiculed the Armed Forces. She told the parliament my arguments were similar to those of the members of the Armed Forces. I do not know what demands the Armed Forces had made. I just mentioned some mistakes of the government in tackling the situation. What is there for the prime minister to resent if the Armed Forces personnel had said the same?’ Khaleda said.
Khaleda said the government and the treasury bench were eager to get into a heated debate, divert public attention from the prime issue and damage the environment for national unity and understanding which were the most necessary thing for the nation.
Courtesy of www.newagebd.com
