Ziaur Rahman was an example of an honest Muslim ruler, says Khomeini Ihsan

Khomeini Ihsan, convener of the Jatiya Biplobi Parishad, has said that martyred President Ziaur Rahman was the architect of modern democratic Bangladesh and an example of an honest Muslim ruler.

He made the remarks on Saturday (November 7) afternoon at Zia Udyan in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the capital, after paying respects at the graves of martyred President Ziaur Rahman and former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia. The programme was organised on the occasion of the historic November 7 National Revolution and Solidarity Day.

Khomeini Ihsan said that martyred Zia belonged to no single party. He belonged to all patriotic people.

He said Bangladesh achieved independence in 1971 through martyred Zia's declaration. But after the Liberation War, the country did not get a democratic state. Immediately after the war, the country fell under fascist rule.

However, after the fall of that rule, the Sepoy-People's Revolution of November 7 under martyred Zia's leadership began the building of a democratic state, he said.

Speaking about Khaleda Zia, he said former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia was a symbol of Bangladesh's sovereignty. She was a great Muslim leader opposed to hegemony.

Khomeini Ihsan alleged that hegemonic and fascist forces imprisoned her and pushed her towards death. "We consider her a martyr. Today we prayed for Jannatul Ferdous for her. Our party practises Muslim nationalist politics. We came to the mausoleum to pray for ideological reasons," he said.

Khomeini Ihsan added that they expect Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's government to also follow the anti-hegemony and anti-fascist policies of martyred Zia and martyred Khaleda Zia.

He also expressed the expectation that the government would help rebuild a happy and prosperous democratic Bangladesh by curbing bribery, corruption and extortion.

Also present at the mausoleum visit were Jatiya Biplobi Parishad joint convener Syed Qutub, central convener committee members Salman Sakib, Sakib Samin and Joynal Abedin, and Biplobi Chhatra Parishad convener Abdul Wahed, member secretary Fazlur Rahman and assistant member secretary Md Ariful Islam, among others.