Law minister Asaduzzaman has said the Awami League government killed four and a half thousand people in the name of crossfire. He made the remarks on Thursday as chief guest at a Janmashtami festival organised by the Dhaka Bar Association.
The law minister said ghost cases had been filed against more than six million BNP leaders and activists by name. He said 1,400 people were killed in just 20 days during July-August, and that the Awami League has shown no remorse over it.
Explaining where BNP stands ideologically, he said BNP is a centrist political party, positioned to the right of the left and the left of the right. He said the party built by Ziaur Rahman speaks out against both irreligiosity and the business of religion, and that BNP has no wish to trade in religion for political gain.
The law minister said: “Religion is where my faith lies, religion is where my reverence lies, religion is my place for this world and the hereafter. But we do not want to bring that religion into the political arena and cause bloodshed among people.”
Addressing the lawyers present, he said: “Many of you here are lawyers from the Muslim community, some are from the Hindu community, and some are from the Christian community. But when you stand before the court, your identity is not Muslim, Christian or Hindu. At that point, you are a lawyer in a black coat.”
The event was chaired by Dhaka Bar Association president Md Anwar Zahid Bhuiyan. Special guests included Dhaka Metropolitan Senior District and Sessions Judge Md Rafiqul Islam, Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md Shahjahan Kabir, and Dhaka’s Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Mostafizur Rahman.