Khaleda Zia must take responsibility of making war criminals ministers: PM Sheikh Hasina

"People of Bangladesh should not forget the support of Khaleda Zia to the persons who in the eyes of the law were war criminals. Khaleda Zia must take this liability and one day its trial will be held on the soil of Bangladesh," she said.

The prime minister was speaking at a discussion organized by Bangladesh Awami League marking the Victory Day-2015 at Krishibid Institution at Khamarbari here.

Pointing out the atrocities of collaborators of Pakistani Force during the War of Liberation, the Prime Minister said the new generation doesn't have any experience of genocide carried out by Pakistani force in 1971, but they could somehow realize the spectrum of their brutality 2001 when BNP-Jamaat alliance came to power.

"Zia made the first move to award the collaborators and his wife Khaleda Zia followed suit. The court has convicted her ministers as the war criminals. So she has to take the responsibility of patronizing the war criminals," she said adding that trial of each and every war criminal would be held and the verdict would be executed.

Deputy Leader of parliament and presidium member of Awami League Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury presided over the meeting while party's advisory council member Suranjit Sengupta, agriculture minister Matiya Chowdhury, AL presidium member Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, joint secretaries Mahbubul Alam Hanif and Dr Dipu Moni and general secretary of Dhaka City unit Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, Bir Bikram, spoke among others on the occasion.

The Prime Minister said the trial of the war criminals and killers of Bangabandhu has freed the nation from disgrace, helping the country to proceed with new dignity, spirit and determination. The whole world now speaks about Bangladesh.

Sheikh Hasina said her government wants to bring back Bangladesh to the dignified position that the nation secured in 1971. The independence which has been earned at the cost of blood of millions cannot be a failure, she said.

The people of the country believe in the ideology of Awami League and the Father of the Nation, she said urging them to take a vow to uphold the dignity of the nation's flag in the comity of nations and not to allow anyone to dishonor the flag.

The Prime Minister said against the backdrop of trial of some top war criminals, the people of the country at home and abroad are celebrating this year's Victory Day with new enthusiasm and spirit.

Sheikh Hasina recalled her memories of coming out of the captivity of Pakistani force one day after the nation's victory saying, "On December 16, 1971 we could hear the 'Joy Bangla, Joy Bangabandhu' slogan from the house at Dhanmondi where we were captive and were still in the line of fire."

"Though we were in an uncertain situation about our lives we also raised slogans. Pakistani force from top of the house fired shots whole night on people killing many of them. "Indian allied force freed me along with my mother, brothers and sister from captivity in the morning on December 17," she said.

Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh was liberated under the leadership of the Father of the Nation not in a day, but at the cost of huge sacrifice. Bangabandhu has suffered imprisonment for most of his life for the nation's independence.

Millions of people laid their lives and about two lakh mothers and sisters lost their honour. Bengali people obeyed every order of Bangabandhu to liberate the country from the clutches of the Pakistani rulers, she said.

Sheikh Hasina said Bangabandhu had nourished a dream with the toiling masses of this country. He wanted to give them a better life fulfilling their basic needs. And Bangabandhu could realize that as a nation Bangali people would not exist without freedom and their economic emancipation is not possible without liberation.

Sheikh Hasina said the whole world stood beside Bangladesh in its fight to liberation. American people, except a section in the US government, lent support to us. Grateful Bangladesh showed gratitude to all of them by honouring them with awards, she said.

The prime minister said Bangladesh, since its independence, has faced the conspiracy of local and foreign forces to make it a failed state. The evil force was envious of the power and courage of Bengali people that was manifested in the war of liberation. So they were out to destroy the nation.

The conspirators were successful on August 15, 1975 and later they brutally killed four national leaders. With the killings, politics of conspiracy, coup and illegal usurpation of power gained ground in Bangladesh. Scores of politicians, military officers and common people were victim of the conspiracy.

Since 1995 the country has been under weird rulers who ruled the country under curfew and the curfew imposed on August 15, 1975 continued till the general election of 1986, the prime minister said adding the parties born from the womb of the military dictators now cry for purity of democracy.

The prime minister reminded the workers of Awami League leaders and workers that they are fighting for implementing an ideology. So everybody in the Awami League and its associate bodies and those who believe in the spirit of war of liberation should come together to march forward, she said.