BSS :
President M Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday have paid rich tributes to four national leaders on the occasion of the Jail Killing Day, recalling their immense contributions to the War of Liberation and the nation.
On the eve of the day, in separate messages, they also prayed for eternal peace of the departed souls of the four national leaders In his message, President Abdul Hamid said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s close aides four national leaders – Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmed, Captain M Mansur Ali and AHM Qamaruzzaman-were brutally killed by anti-liberation forces inside the Dhaka Central Jail on November 3, 1975.
“I pay deep respect to their memories,” he added.
Noting that the country’s independence was not achieved in a day, the President said Bangabandhu, the undisputed leader of the Bangalee Nation and the architect of Independent Bangladesh, proclaimed independence of Bangladesh on March 26, 1971 and eventually the Liberation War started at his call.
When Bangabandhu was imprisoned in Pakistan jail during the Liberation War, he said in absence of Bangabandhu the four national leaders made an outstanding contribution to form the Mujibnagar Government, devise war strategy and tactics, carry out administrative activities, conduct the Liberation War, carry on diplomatic efforts and keep an eye on refugees to turn the Liberation War into a people’s war in 1971.
“The nation will always remember the contributions of the four national leaders with due respect,” the President added.
The head of the state said the anti-liberation clique brutally killed the four national leaders inside the Dhaka Central Jail on November 3 in 1975 in continuation to the assassination of Bangabandhu and most of his family members on August 15 in 1975 to make the nation leaderless alongside to jeopardize the independence and sovereignty of the country.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in her message, termed the November 3 (Jail Killing Day) a stigmatized day in the history of independent Bangladesh saying such killings in the safe custody of jail are unprecedented in the world’s history.
She said the killing of the four national leaders were the sequel to the assassination of the Father of the Nation and most of his family members.
Through the hateful killings of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib and four national leaders, the defeated forces of Liberation War and anti-state cliques wanted to erase the name of Bangladesh Awami League forever from the soil of Bangladesh and destroy the spirit of Liberation War, and made the nation leaderless, she added.
“The purpose of the killers was to break the state structure of the non- communal democratic Bangladesh and undermine our independence achieved at a huge cost,” the premier said.
The anti liberation forces started the politics of killing, coup and
conspiracy after August 15 in 1975 and proclaimed indemnity ordinance to save
the self confessed killers, Sheikh Hasina said.
She said Ziaur Rahman after grabbing the state power illegally had killed
the democracy by imposing martial law, dissecting the constitution, awarding
the killers through rehabilitating them with jobs in Bangladesh missions
abroad instead of bringing them under trial and giving citizenship to the
anti liberators and war criminals.
The direct and indirect patrons of the 1975’s conspirators and killers
grabbed the state power for the next 21 years, the head of the government
said, adding that the illegal rulers distorted the history of the great
Liberation War and pushed the country backwards.
“Bangladesh Awami League won the elections in 1996 and formed the
government after a long 21 years and started the trial of Bangabandhu murder.
But the BNP-Jamaat coalition government stopped the trial proceedings of case
after camping to power in 2001,” Sheikh Hasina said.
The countrymen again voted the AL to win the elections of December 29,
2008 by a huge margin, she said, adding the AL government after assuming the
state power has achieved significant success in establishing justice in the
country by eliminating the politics of revenge.
“We have freed the nation from stigma by executing the verdict of the
killings of Father of the Nation with his most of the family members. The
trial of the killings of the four national leaders has also been completed,”
she said, adding that efforts are on to track the locations of the fugitive
killers and bring them back to the country.
As per the commitment given to the people, the verdict of the crimes
against humanity cases of 1971 is being executed, Sheikh Hasina said, adding
the way of seizing power illegally has been blocked by amending the
constitution.
Peace and democracy have been re-established in the country following the
principle of zero tolerance against terrorism and militancy, the Prime
Minister said, adding, “We are determined to establish the rule of law and
justice in the country”.
“Now, we stand as a self-respecting country with our head high in the
world. We are celebrating the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation and
the golden jubilee of Bangladesh’s independence. During this time, Bangladesh
has achieved the status of a developing country,” she said.
The government has been able to keep the wheel of the country’s economy
running even amid the current Coronavirus epidemic situation, Sheikh Hasina
said, adding, “Our government is working relentlessly to build the hunger and
poverty-free, and happy and prosperous Sonar Bangladesh as dreamt by father
of the nation by 2041″.
Noting that anti-liberation communal clique and anti-development and anti-
democratic forces are still hatching conspiracies against the country in
various ways, she urged all to remain be always to deal with any conspiracy
or ill attempt of the evil forces.
“Let’s uphold the democracy and the rule of law resisting all conspiracies
being imbued with the spirit of the great Liberation War and build a non-
communal, hunger and poverty-free Sonar Bangladesh as dreamt by the Father of the Nation with the collective efforts- this would be our pledge on the Jail
Killing Day,” Sheikh Hasina said.
