DHAKA: Four births take place every second across the world. Also, almost two people die every second. The number of per day birth is 360,000 while for death figure it is 151,600. So, the birthday of a person falls on the same day of death anniversary of hundreds of thousands of people. It is quite natural.
Former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia’s birthday should not be an exception. Many people died on the day she was born. Many people also died the same day she celebrated her birthday in last 70 years. If we multiply it by a moderate figure of 100,000 death a day, her birthday is the death anniversary of 70,00,000 people across the world.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, son of Sheikh Lutfor Rahman and Sayera Khatun of Tungipara, Gopalganj is one of them. There might have been several hundreds, if not several thousands, Mujibs who died in last 70 years on the same day of Begum Zia’s birthday.
A personality like Khaleda Zia cannot count each and every Mujib or even every Sheikh Mujib that she or her followers will postpone her birthday celebration only because it’s a death anniversary of some people. It is quite natural, too.
Then why the controversy over her birthday celebration on August 15!
It’s simply because that the August 15 is the saddest day for Bangladesh. Father of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman along with most of his family members was assassinated by a section of disgruntled army officers on this day way back in 1975. Even the killers did not spare his 10-year-old son Sheikh Russel.
Had there been no Mujib, there would neither be Bangladesh nor the opportunity for Khaleda Zia to be a Prime Minister of an independent country. It appears to be most unfortunate for a nation that when they solemnly begin a day of national mourning and prayers, one of their former Premiers and her followers begin it by birthday celebration through cutting giant cakes in the zero hour.
Still, there are questions and doubts about reliability of her birthday on August 15. None of her previous documents show that she was born on this day. Rather, her SSC certificate, marriage document, passport and the government handout circulated after she became Prime Minister first time n 1991 bear different dates as her birthday. Any of the documents did not show that she was born on August 15.
In fact, August 15 appeared as her birthday after she became the Prime Minister. It is widely known that two journalists were behind the fabricated birthday of Begum Khaleda Zia. In open platform, the duo is with BNP; but Dhaka’s journalists’ community knows very well that both of them are engaged with Jamaat politics behind the scene.
So, it is well understood that Jamaat-e-Islami and its political philosophy brought August 15 as the birth anniversary of Khaleda Zia. Is it only to undermine the father of the nation and to satire him and his political ideology? That is one aspect.
But, most importantly, they consider bloody August 15 as the “glorious” occasion of their re-birth in Bangladesh. Look, what happened after the assassination of Bangabandhu? The Jamaat leaders, who were behind the bars as accused in crimes, were released. Their chief Ghulam Azam returned from their heartland, Pakistan. They got back right to do politics. They got back their party, Jamaat-e-Islami, too. Finally, Bangladesh walked back from the spirit of liberation war that Jamaat was not only opposed to, but took part in killing, looting, arson and looting.
So, August 15 was obviously their re-birth and they manifested it through starting celebrating the day as birthday of Begum Khaleda Zia who appeared as undeclared Ameer of Jamaat since the trial of Jamaat leaders started for their heinous crimes against humanity in 1971.
Celebrating August 15 as Khaleda Zia’s birthday is another crime.
BDST: 1146 HRS, AUG 15,2014
