‘Ziaur Rahman is the first president of Bangladesh’ has now been stated by no-one other than an Awami League MP, bdnews24.com reported on Wednesday.
The report said, retired major general Mohammad Shubid Ali Bhuiyan faced intense criticism from his colleagues after making the claim in a meeting of a parliamentary committee on Wednesday.More than one MP who attended the meeting told bdnews24.com that Shubid’s loyalty to Awami League was questioned in the meeting.
Shubid, the chief of the parliamentary standing committee on defence ministry, had been the Principal Staff Officer (PSO) of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia when she was the prime minister.
After retirement, he was denied BNP nomination for 2001 election in Comilla’s Daudkandi.
He later fought the polls as an independent candidate but lost.
Shubid confirmed Awami League’s ticket in 2008 and defeated top BNP leader Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain to become an MP in 2008.
He had been given the post of the chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on power, energy and mineral resources ministry.
After winning the 10th parliamentary election, Shubid became the chief of the parliamentary standing committee on defence ministry.
Ziaur Rahman’s son Tarique Rahman faced criticism for describing his father as the ‘first president of Bangladesh’ last year. The High Court later banned broadcast of his speech.
Dhaka University recently sacked a registrar for calling Zia ‘the first president’ in a founding anniversary publication.
On Wednesday, Shubid did the same thing in a meeting of the parliamentary standing committee on public undertakings, more than one MPs who attended the meeting confirmed bdnews24.com.
One of them, requesting anonymity, said, “Shubid Ali entered into a heated argument with the other MPs after making the claim. Committee chief Shawkat Ali calmed them down.”
“The other MPs rebuked him, saying he doesn’t embrace the Awami League’s ideals. He is in the party only for the opportunity to be an MP.”
He said MPs Mohibur Rahman Manik, Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun, Abdur Rouf and Navana Akter slated Shubid.
“One of them even said ‘you (Shubid) are actually nothing but a soldier of Zia. You can’t get BNP’s nomination in your seat as top BNP leader Mosharraf Hossain is also from the same area. Now you are with Awami League to be MP’,” he said – the bdnews24.com report added.
