Moon Desk: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday revisited the history of country’s protracted independence struggle extracting Bangamata Begum Fazilatun Nesa Mujib’s key-shadow role particularly in major turning points like the six-point demand, Bangabandhu’s conditional release issue and his March 7 speech.
“The decisions of my mother on major political issues helped us a lot in achieving the independence,” the premier said as she distributed an annual award named after Begum Fazilatun Nesa.
Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh’s emergence would have been impossible unless Bangamata would have taken a bold step against proposed inclusion of two more points to the Six-Point Demand while Bangabandhu was in Pakistani military captivity during the Agartala conspiracy case. The premier said several Awami League leaders was willing to accept Bangabandhu’s release on parole while the trial of the case was underway, an idea that was strongly opposed by Bangamata who wanted his unconditional release.
Sheikh Hasina said if Bangabandhu would have come out accepting parole conditions, no fierce mass movement would have sparked forcing the then Pakistani junta to abandon the case, freeing the accused.
She feared in that situation all the accused would have been hanged on high treason charges, if not killed in captivity like their co-accused Sergeant Zahirul Haque during the trial.
