Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday said, she is still looking for an answer where all the leaders of Awami League had been when Bangabandhu was assassinated and why no-one of them came forward to play a courageous role against the killing. “It’s (Awami League) such a big organisation… so many leaders! Where had they been? Sometimes I want to know that; no-one came forward with their courage. The mass people were always with Bangabandhu,” she said. The Prime Minister said this while addressing a discussion meeting arranged marking the 49th Victory Day. Awami League organised the discussion at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) here with its President Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
Hasina wondered why no-one of the country could know about the assassination of Bangabandhu and why no-one took any step against the killing!
“That dead body lied on the floor of [Dhanmondi] 32, why? I didn’t get that answer till today,” she said.
The Prime Minister said the failure to protect Bangabandhu forced the nation to pay for the next decades. “Because, there were repeated coups, there were 18-19 coups in this country after the assassination of the Father of the Nation… there had been oppression and tortures on the leaders and activists of the party,” she said.
“If anyone had come forward with one’s courage then these oppressions and tortures might not have taken place, and there might not be repeated coups in the country… these repeated coups pushed the country to the verge of destruction,” she said.
AL general secretary Obaidul Quader delivered the welcome address at the discussion which was addressed, among others, by AL leaders Amir Hossain Amu, Tofail Ahmed, Matia Chowdhury, Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Prof Marina Jahan Kabita, Humayun Kabir and SM Mannan Kochi.
