Khaleda appointed Bangabandhu's killer as ambassador: Sajeeb Wazed

Instead of trying the killers of Bangabandhu and four national leaders, Ziaur Rahman endowed them with safe passage to overseas jobs, Prime Minister's ICT Affairs Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy wrote in his Facebook post on Sunday.

That legacy was carried forward by his wife Khaleda Zia under whose directive Khairuzzaman, one of the killers who had been sent to jail in 1996, was released in 2001.

Khaleda, the then prime minister, also appointed him as the ambassador to Myanmar, Joy wrote.

Khairuzzaman -- who enjoyed special privilege from the BNP-Jamaat alliance -- had been posted in Egypt in 1975, following the assassination of Bangabandhu and the four national leaders.

Then Ziaur Rahman paved the way for his series of promotions at the foreign ministry. He was even made the Bangladesh high commissioner to Malaysia, PM's ICT affairs adviser said.

During the tenure of Khaleda Zia, Khairuzzaman even had influence over the top officials in the administration. Owing to his rapport with Khaleda, he served as the acting ambassador to the Philippines till 1996, he wrote.

But the curtain fell on BNP's tenure in 1996 and Awami League formed the government. Then Khairuzzaman was dismissed from his job as there was a charge sheet against him.

Then he was tried and imprisoned, Joy added.

Returning to power in 2001, the BNP-Jamaat alliance stopped the trial of the murderers of Bangabandhu and four national leaders. Just after taking oath as the prime minister, Khaleda Zia came up with the directives to release Khairuzzaman.

Under her directives, Khairuzzaman was first transferred to hospital from jail before getting released. Then he was promoted as the additional secretary and appointed as the ambassador to Myanmar. Finally, he fled from his workplace as the tenure of the BNP-Jamaat alliance came to an end, Joy wrote.