Late president Ziaur Rahman was involved in Bangabandhu killing in 1975, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has came up with the statement on Monday. She made the statement while addressing the joint meeting of Awami League's working committee, parliamentary party and advisory council at her official residence Ganabhaban.
She said: “Bangabandhu's killer Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad made Zia the chief of Army which proved that Zia had a good relationship with Mostak and was involved in the Bangabandhu killing.
Zia would have been made the accused of Bangabandhu's killing, if he was alive,” she added.
The prime minister said General Zia became president by removing Justice ASM Sayem from the post of president at gun point as he (Zia) mentioned that Sayem was sick.
"Though Justice Sayem did not want to resign, he at last quit power in the face of intense pressure from Zia, who became president later," she said.
She said 19 coups took place during the misrule of General Zia and hundreds of officers and soldiers of army, navy and air force were killed in those coups.
Besides, thousands of Awami League leaders and workers were thrown into the jail during the period, she said.
Trashing the BNP's claim that General Zia had restored democracy in the country, the prime minister said in fact Zia had imposed "curfew democracy" instead of people's democracy.
"He had introduced curfew for the whole night which lasted till the withdrawal of martial law in 1986," she said.
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, also the father of the prime minister, was assassinated by a group of junior army officers on August 15, 1975, along with most of his family. After the coup, Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad, who became his immediate successor.
He made Zia the Army chief and in 1978 Zia declared himself the president of Bangladesh.
Ziaur Rahman signed the Indemnity Ordinance, reportedly giving immunity from prosecution to the men who plotted Mujib's assassination and overthrow.