BY SUMI KHAN
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said a correct decision by her mother — Bangamata Fazilatunnesa Mujib, at a crucial period changed the country’s political history.
Addressing a programme marking the celebration of the 90th birth anniversary of Fazilatunnesa Mujib, the Prime Minister said her mother had taken the right decision by turning down the proposal of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s release on parole for holding a roundtable discussion in West Pakistan while her life was at risk.
Fazilatunnesa Mujib was born on August 8, 1930, at Tungipara village in Gopalganj. She was brutally killed by the assassins of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on August 15, 1975.
“That correct and timely decision had forced the Pakistani military dictator Ayub Khan to withdraw the ‘Agartala Conspiracy’ case and changed the course of the political history of Bangladesh as well,” Hasina said on Saturday.
“The most desirable thing regarding my mother’s contributions to the political arena was that my mother had taken correct decisions at the crucial period. Many of the top leaders had failed, to approach the right decision at that time, unfortunately,” she said.
Hasina, the elder daughter of Fazilatunnesa Mujib joined the programme organised by the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, from her official residence Ganabhaban.
Speaking at the programme as the chief guest, she recalled that the Pakistani military dictators had tried to include Bangamata’s name in the Agartala Conspiracy Case for which Pakistani intelligence agencies interrogated her Bangamata several times.
Mentioning that Bangamata had great efficiency in building up struggle and movement, Hasina said her moother had a huge role in waging massive movements in favour of the 6-Point-Demand and against the Agartala Conspiracy Case as she knew how to create public opinion.
On the occasion, the premier also distributed Tk 26 lakh; 2,000 tk each, among 1,300 distressed women thorough the electronic medium as per the enrolment of the beneficiaries provided by deputy commissioners of 64 districts.
“My mother set an example for others in terms of sacrifice as nothing can be bigger than sacrificing oneself going beyond personal desires and demands,” Sheikh Hasina added.
In this connection, the prime minister called upon the womenfolk to nourish the ideals of Begum Fazilatunnesa Mujib in their lives to make a family, an organisation and the country as beautiful ones.
She reminisced that Bangamata even saved every single penny which she got from her father’s assets and handed overall for the party to fight to free the motherland from Pakistan.
“Alongside looking after the family affairs, Bangamata helped the families of the detained and ailing leaders,” the Prime Minister said.
“Bangamata even denied surviving… and told the killers ‘you had assassinated my husband, I don’t want to survive’… and she was killed,” said Hasina.
