DHAKA, – Awami League General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader today said BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia’s fake birthday celebration on National Mourning Day on August 15 is the worst precedent in the country’s political history.

He was addressing a discussion arranged by Chattogram South District AL at Chattogram Press Club in memory of those killed in the August 21 grenade attacks. He joined it virtually from Dhaka.

Mentioning that BNP is bearing the inheritance of politics of killing, Quader said BNP is the father of politics of killing and terrorism in the country as the party is the reliable and trusted shelter to communal evil forces of Bangladesh.

About BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir’s comment that Ziaur Rahman was not involved in August 15 carnage, the minister said Ziaur Rahman rewarded killers of Bangabandhu and sent the assassins abroad safely and gave them jobs in different Bangladesh missions abroad.

“These prove Zia’s involvement in August 15 carnage. What could be bigger proof than that?” he said.

The AL general secretary said Ziaur Rahman was the mastermind of Bangabandhu’s assassination on August 15 in 1975 while the prince of Hawa Bhaban, the alternative power house of BNP during its government’s tenure, Tarique Rahman was the mastermind of the gruesome grenade attacks on AL rally on August 21, 2004.

AL Organizing Secretary Abu Sayeed Al Mahmud Swapan and Chattogram South District AL General Secretary Mafizur Rahman addressed it, among others.

Chattogram South District AL President Moslem Uddin Ahmed chaired it.

Earlier, the road transport and bridges minister virtually joined an agreement signing ceremony of two packages under South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Road Connectivity Project-2 at Roads and Highways Department here.

Speaking on the occasion, Quader said public sufferings on Gazipur-Elenga and Khulna-Jashore roads must be lessened by any means.

He said there is no need of receiving new projects, rather the ongoing projects should be completed first.

Road Transport and Highways Division Secretary Md Nazrul Islam and Bridges Division Secretary Abu Bakar Siddique and Project Director Dr Md Waliur Rahman were present in the agreement signing ceremony.

Representatives of construction companies Abdul Momen Limited and China Railway Bridge Construction Group signed the agreement.