Hasan talks tough against those \\\'lying\\\' about 1st president

Apparently pointing at BNP chief Khaleda Zia and her son’s assertions that late Ziaur Rahman was the country’s first president, Awami League leader Dr Hasan Mahmud has said legal action needs to be taken against those lying over the country’s first president. “Lying with what is recognised by the country’s constitution is clearly violation of the charter… they’ve violated the constitution… stern legal action is needed to be taken against them whoever he or she is… they should be booked,” Hasan Mahmud said while addressing a discussion, organised by Bangabandhu Academy at Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) on Saturday. His observations came as the BNP Chairperson, her eldest son Tarique Rahman and some BNP leaders claimed BNP founder Ziaur Rahman was the country’s first president. On Mar 25, at a discussion in London, Tarique Rahman said Ziaur Rahman was Bangladesh’s first president as he had drafted the declaration of independence and read it out on Mar 26, 1971, amidst the failure of then political leaders to do so. “If Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had declared independence on Mar 7, 1971, then Mar 8 would have been Bangladesh’s Independence Day,” Tarique Rahman added. Following Tarique Rahman’s remark, his mother and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia at a programme on Mar 27 said her late husband Ziaur Rahman was the first president of Bangladesh and proclaimer of its independence, according to UNB.