Citizens condemn Khaleda

Some citizens yesterday strongly condemned the statement of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia that the government has resorted to genocide and brutality like that of 1971.
BNP wants to protect the war criminals. As it is puzzled now, its chief Khaleda Zia has made such a comment, writer and journalist Shahriar Kabir told The Daily Star.
Khaleda was in the custody of Pakistani occupation army for nine months during the Liberation War and therefore, she believes in the statements of Pakistanis, not in the independence of Bangladesh, he noted.
He complained that BNP wants to erase the history of genocide committed by the Pakistani occupation forces and their collaborators.
The freedom fighters in BNP will have to decide now whether they will take the responsibility for the war crimes, mentioned Shahriar.
Liberation war veteran Ferdousi Priyabhashini held Khaleda Zia responsible for the ongoing violence in the country as the opposition leader has “opposed the trial of war crimes suspects and instigated Jamaat-e-Islami for the disturbances.”
“Khaleda Zia should be put on trial for making war crimes suspects Moitur Rahman Nizami and Ali Ahsan Muhammad Mojaheed ministers; for allowing them to visit the Shaheed Minar during the tenure of her government; and also for opposing the ongoing war crimes trial,” she mentioned.
She asked Khaleda to learn from the youths at Shahbagh how a movement can be run peacefully.
Famed educationalist and writer Muntassir Mamoon said Jamaat has been carrying out attacks on people and torching the houses, temples and pagodas of the Hindus and Buddhists as a continuation of its acts in 1971.
A government cannot tolerate such acts of violence, and its action against such rampages cannot be termed genocide, he noted.
Khaleda did not witness the genocide in 1971 and she does not know what it is. That is why she termed the government's action genocide, said Muntassir.
He observed that there is no difference between the BNP and Jamaat as both the parties have been trying to protect the war criminals.
Haroon Habib, a freedom fighter and acting secretary of Sector Commanders' Forum, said Khaleda Zia by making the statement has supported the terrorism unleashed across the country by Jamaat and student front Islami Chhatra Shibir since November last year.
By making such a statement, Khaleda has tried to cover up the criminal offences of Jamaat, he said, adding that the opposition leader is unfit for holding the top post of any responsible political party.
Sarwar Ali, trustee of Liberation War Museum, said Khaleda's comment proves that she does not know the definition of the word genocide.
The Jamaat activists have unleashed violence across the country over the last two days and the law enforcers have retaliated to maintain law and order, which cannot be termed genocide, he argued.
The BNP chief is giving more importance to the election issue than morality, observed Sarwar.
“It would be very much unfair if the killing of 35 or 40 persons is compared to the mass killing of 1971. In no way it is acceptable,” noted economist MM Akash told BBC Bangla Service yesterday.
It was a hostile act in which policemen, Awami League and Jamaat activists and also common people had been killed, he said, adding that every killing should be investigated.
Front liner of Shahbagh movement Imran H Sarkar last night expressed disappointment over BNP's declaration of nationwide dawn-to-dusk hartal for Tuesday.
Addressing the demonstrators at Shahbagh he said the hartal would go in favour of anti-liberation forces Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Chhatra Shibir, and their nationwide violence including attacks on the minority community.
He urged BNP to withdraw its hartal and boycott Jamaat and Shibir.