Aug 15 massacre aimed at making BD a Pak province: PM

UNB, Dhaka :
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday said the massacre on August 15 in 1975 was carried out in a bid to make independent Bangladesh a province of Pakistan again through eliminating all the achievements of the country’s independence.
“It was not just killing…the killers’ aims was to destroy the republic and independence, soil the spirit of independence and eliminate all the achievements of our independence,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina was addressing a discussion organised by Awami League at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) on the occasion of 39th martyrdom of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
After Bangabandhu’s killing, the Prime Minister said, the process to distort the country’s history started. “‘Joy Bangla’ slogan was banned, Bangabandhu’s name banned, and the killers pushed the country to a different direction for making the independent country a province of Pakistan again,” she added.
Chaired by Deputy Leader of the House and AL presidium member Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, the discussion meeting was addressed, among others, by AL advisory council member and Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu, party advisory council member
and Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, party presidium member and Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury, AL advisory council member Suranjit Sengupta, presidium member and Health Minister Mohammad Nasim, party general secretary and LGRD Minister Syed Ashraful Islam, AL presidium member Advocate Shahara Khatun, Sammyabadi Dal general secretary and former Industries Minister Dilip Barua, Dhaka city unit AL president MA Aziz and general secretary and Disaster Management Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya and Dhaka University Vice Chancellor Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique.
The Prime Minister said history always takes its on course, and history itself takes its revenge against those who try to disagree with it.
“Those who wanted to paint stigma on the Liberation War through distorted history, their ugly faces now have got exposed before the nation. Their perverted intention now opened up before the nation. People are now seeing their perverted character in every move,” she said.
Hasina said, there had been 21 coups after the 1975 killings, and hundreds of soldiers and officers of the Bangladesh Armed Forces were killed in addition to the murder of thousands of leaders and workers of Bangladesh Awami League.
The military rulers had enforced nighttime curfew for 11 years since 1975 and all the ethos of the Liberation War were destroyed.
General Ziaur Rahman had rehabilitated the anti-liberation forces making one of the leading anti-liberation elements prime minister of Bangladesh.
Hasina said, Father of the Nation had started the trial of the war criminals and a large number were convicted, and the citizenships of some war criminals cancelled, but the trial process was stalled after Bangabandhu’s assassination.
Mentioning that General Ziaur Rahman was involved in Bangabandhu killing, she said Zia had promulgated indemnity ordinance to save the killers of Bangabandhu, rewarded them with posting in Bangladesh missions abroad.
Recalling the fateful day of August 15, 1975, she said at that time she and her younger sister Sheikh Rehana was in Germany (the then West Germany). “It’s our ill-fate that I and Rehana have been enduring the pain and shock for the last 39 years.”
The Prime Minister said she is not afraid of death as she had been close to it several times. “What I have to lose, I’ve already lost my parents and all. I want to sacrifice my life for the people of the country.”
She reiterated her commitment to turn Bangladesh into a poverty-, hunger- and illiteracy-free happy and prosperous nation as dreamt by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
“After my death I want to say to my father (Bangabandhu) that the people you liked most, even more than us and sacrificed your whole life, I did these for your beloved people,” an emotional PM said wiping out her tears.