Moshtaq, Zia were masterminds behind Aug 15 massacre: Joy

Bangabandhu’s grandson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s ICT Affairs Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy revisited the August 15, 1975 episode that saw the brutal assassination of Sheikh Mujib along with most of his family members, claiming Khandakar Moshtaq Ahmed and General Ziaur Rahman were among those who masterminded the carnage.

“The assassins gunned down the family members inside the Dhanmondi residence, which stands as a testimony to all the key events in the run up to the 1971 liberation war. The residence turned into a pool of blood,” he wrote in a facebook post on Bangabandhu’s 48th martyrdom anniversary today.

He added: “Khandakar Moshtaq and General Ziaur Rahman were among those who masterminded the massacre”.

Following that gruesome killing, subsequent rulers embraced fundamentalist forces, putting an end to the pledge of secular Bangladesh, a dream that the founding father promised for his people, Joy said.

Paying glowing tributes to founding Father of the Nation, Joy said Bangabandhu was revered for his strong personality and a steely resolve to stand for the cause of his people.

“Fearful of Bangabandhu’s tenacity, Pakistan army always kept tabs on his movement. Defying Pakistan Army’s round the clock surveillance, Bangabandhu shored up public support across the country for his six point demand, considered as our charter of freedom,” he added.

As Pakistan army launched infamous operation searchlight on unarmed civilians on March 25, their prime target was the Dhanmondi residence of Bangabandhu, Joy said.

As a group of soldiers stormed his house, a defiant Bangabandhu shouted at them “stop gun fire”, a call that clearly testifies his courage, he said.

After Bangladesh earned freedom, Joy said, Bangabandhu embarked on a mission to rebuild a war torn country, left devastated by Pak army.
“But the mission was beset with insurmountable challenges. He (Bangabandhu) had to start from scratch-with almost no reserve to every roads left in battered condition,” he said.

But at the call of the charismatic leader, youths and war heroes took part in the pursuit to rebuild their motherland, Joy added.
On diplomatic front, Bangabandhu’s growing international stature led his country welcomed by a number of international bodies including UN, OIC and Commonwealth, said the premier’s ICT adviser.

In a span of three years, the growth rate reached 11pc, braving all the odds, a quarter that opposed the country’s independence, teamed up to ruin the progress, he added.

A cabal comprising national and international forces, that attempted to stop the birth of the country, indulged in a conspiracy that resulted in the brutal massacre of Bangabandhu and 19 of his family members on August 15, 1975, he said.