BNP refutes PM statement on Aug 21 grenade attack

Bangladesh Nationalist Party secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Saturday dismissed prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s claim that Khaleda Zia tried to kill her on August 21, 2004 in a grenade attack on an Awami League rally.

Mirza Fakhrul in a press statement said that what Sheikh Hasina said on the previous day was politically motivated and a gimmick.

Sheikh Hasina at a discussion, which she address through video conferencing, at the Awami League central office on Friday said, ‘Khaleda Zia, you tried to kill me.’

The BNP condemned and protested at Hasina’s statement.

Hearing the news of sudden attack on Awami League rally on Bangabandhu Avenue, then prime minister Khaleda Zia became stunned and puzzled, and she hurriedly quarried about the conditions of wounded.

She went to Dhaka CMH to see wounded AL leader Ivy Rahman and Taruque Siddique, security advisor of then opposition leader Sheikh Hasina, Fakhrul said.

Khaleda also tried to go to the residence of the leader of opposition, Sheikh Hasina, to console her but the leaders and activists of Awami League had blocked roads to Sudhasadan for a whole day day long and two security officers of prime minster, who went there, were harassed by the AL leaders and activists, Fakhrul said.

Then president, prime minster, speaker of the parliament and cabinet members condemned the attack and expressed deep shock for the dead and wounded.

They expressed strong vow to bring the culprits to book, Fakhrul added.

The charge-sheet of the case which was given during the caretaker government led by Fakhruddin Ahmed, did not have the name of BNP’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman as a suspect, Fakhrul said.

Khaleda Zia was not mentioned for a single time, Fakhrul said.

The names of Tarique and other BNP leaders were included in the second chargesheet after police investigation, when Awami League took power, Fakhrul said.

He said that it was assumed that using state mercenaries and police the names of BNP leaders were included from political intention.

Twenty-two people, including late president Zillur Rahman’s wife Ivy Rahman, were killed and over 200 were injured in the grisly grenade attack on the rally of the then main opposition AL on Bangabandhu Avenue during the tenure of the BNP-led alliance government.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net