Sector Commanders’ Forum yesterday protested the attempts of a political group to establish BNP founder Ziaur Rahman as first president of the country, terming it a distortion of history.
“Sector Commanders’ Forum believes that such a weird claim is not only a great historical lie, but also a new attempt of the continuation of distortion of history of the Liberation War,” a press statement of the organisation, signed by its acting secretary general Harun Habib, said.
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia on Thursday claimed that Ziaur Rahman was the first president of Bangladesh as he proclaimed the independence of the country. Earlier, Tarique Rahman, eldest son of Khaleda Zia and Ziaur Rahman, at a discussion in London first claimed that his father was the first president of the country citing the same logic.
The press statement said the legal and constitutional base of Bangladesh was established in 1970 by the elected representatives who made Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman the first president on April 10. It said as Bangabandhu was detained by the Pakistanis, Syed Nazrul Islam was given the charge of acting president and Tajuddin Ahmad the prime minister.
It also said it was a surprise after 43 years, a political group was trying to make Zia the first president against the nationally and internationally recognised history.
“It is even surprising that Ziaur Rahman even did not make this weird claim,” it said and urged the people to stand against such ill motive of distorting the history of 1971 Liberation War.
