Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud on Friday said the BNP is the main patron of the killers of Sheikh Jamal, calling party founder Ziaur Rahman one of the masterminds of the assassination.
He was talking to reporters after paying homage to Sheikh Jamal on his birthday at his grave at Banani graveyard in the morning.
Jamal, the second son of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was killed on August 15, 1975, along with Bangabandhu and other family members at their Dhanmondi 32 residence.
“Sheikh Jamal was imprisoned by the Pakistanis in 1971 along with Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib, our leader Bangabandhu's daughter Sheikh Hasina, Sheikh Rehana and Sheikh Russell. From that captivity, he escaped, crossed the remote path on foot and went to Agartala and participated in the Liberation War,” said Hasan.
“He (Jamal) participated in the Liberation War for the whole nine months. He later joined the army. He became a second lieutenant. He received his training from Sandhurst, Britain, the world-famous military training centre,” added Hasan, also Awami League joint general secretary.
“Sheikh Jamal was a brilliant young man. He was a culture-minded person - he practised culture. He had a deep passion for sports also,” he said.
“Bangladesh lost a talented young man through the assassination of Jamal. A promising young man who could have given so much to the country and contributed to nation-building,” the minister added.