The truth about General Zia and his progeny vis-à-vis political killings in Bangladesh Shabbir Ahmed The Daily Star did a commendable job by publishing an investigative report on the gruesome attacks and killings on August 21, 2004 in a rally of Awami League. The investigative minded journalists of the Daily Star were able to go deep inside the matter that included the conspiracy, planning, and execution to kill Mrs. Sheikh Hasina. In Bangladesh, the media seldom performs investigative reporting to the level the said news daily performed on August 21st attack perpetrated by the conspirators of the fundamentalist four party alliance that includes Jamaat-i-Islami. The information disseminated through the reporting was shocking but did not appear to be something out of the blue. There was a general perception that the bigwigs of Bangladesh National Party (BNP), Jamaat-I-Islami (JI), and the Islamic militants were involved in the attack on Mrs. Sheikh Hasina on August 21, 2004. The vicious groups belonging to these parties were adept in conspiring and killing to achieve their political goals. As revealed in the report, the conspirators planned to kill Mrs. Sheilkh Hasina after a series of conspiratorial meetings. The report says (The Daily Star, October 27, 2009): "At least nine people sat to discuss a recommendation coming from a series of meetings in the past. The Awami League was branded as the archenemy for the country and Islam, and it was recommended that its president Sheikh Hasina must die." The conspirators belonging to BNP, a political party that came into being in the military barrack under questionable circumstances during 1976-1978, used Islam and brought Islamic militants/jihadists into their folds to execute their heinous plan. It is clear that the pan-Islamic patron of the jihadists is none but the bigwigs of BNP, who conspired and tried to kill Mrs. Sheikh Hasina to pave the way for continuing politics by exploiting the belief system of the generally pious but non-militant Muslim population of Bangladesh. One should not be surprised to read about the involvement of the BNP bigwigs in the conspiracy of killing almost the entire Awami League leadership including Mrs. Sheikh Hasina. It is relevant to mention here that the founder of BNP, a military dictator Gen. Ziaur Rahman, did not come to power by getting mandate of the people through election. He had an all-time high record on conspiracy. His conspiracies include killing many of the members of the armed forces and even killing his savior, friend, and ex-colleague Col. Taher. Therefore, it comes as no surprise to many pro-liberation folks when they read the account of conspiracy by BNP high command to attempt to kill Mrs. Sheikh Hasina under broad daylight. Mr. Tarek Zia, the "able" son and heir, behaved the same way as his father by reflecting the ancient proverb "like father, like son." As it appears, he inherited the conspiratorial characteristics from his father. For the most part, the infamous Howa Bhaban, managed by Tarek Zia was the main place for hatching the conspiracy as mentioned by the Daily Star. It was mentioned that the bigwig of Howa Bhaban attended the meeting for taking the "final decision" on killing Mrs. Sheikh Hasina and many others belonging to Awami League if necessary. Even a child in Bangladesh would know who the bigwig of Howa Bhaban was. The Daily Star mentioned that the investigators did not find any clue yet to conclude on the role of Mrs. Khaleda Zia on the horrifying attack. We should not forget that her husband Gen. Zia encouraged, supported, and rewarded the killers of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Likewise her government continued rewarding these killers. What better one can expect from Mrs. Zia? We should not ignore the facts that some of the conspirators of August 21 attack were in her cabinet. Her party office was the place where conspiracy took place. The blood-thirsty semi-fundamentalist conspirators and their fundamentalist partners in Bangladesh should also be tried to put an end to the politics of killings. The policy of killings and fishing in troubled waters was employed by Gen. Zia in 70s. The technique he used was in a sequence: conspire, kill, get to the power, reward the killers, obstruct justice through fabrication, do more conspiracy, and provide indemnity to the killers for protecting the power as the ultimate beneficiary. His party BNP has not yet been able to come out of this cycle of viciousness. The present government should go as deep as necessary to find the masterminds and try them to the fullest to put the vicious cycle to rest that was created by none other than Gen Zia. Politically, Bangladesh had suffered enough in the last thirty-four years due to wanton killings engineered by politically ambitious people in the military cantonment. The truth should come out now so that historians can portray Ziaur Rahman and his family with a semblance of truth. |