Rafiqul Islam also says Zia ‘first president’

Defending their party chief Khaleda Zia and her son Tarique Zia’s assertions, BNP standing committee member Barrister Rafiqul Islam Miah Friday described how late Ziaur Rahman was the ‘first president’ of the country. Ziaur Rahman was virtually the ‘president’ of Bangladesh just during the period after the proclamation of Independence and formation of Mujibnagar Government on April 17, 1971, he said addressing a human chain formed in front of the Jatiya Press Club in the city. “Ziaur Rahman first proclaimed the independence saying ‘I revolt’ after Pakistani force had unleashed massacre on March 25. Under whose rule the country had been run from the day before the formation of independent country’s government in exile?”  Rafiqul Islam questioned.
“The country had been under control of Ziaur Rahman at that time. He (Zia) was virtually in charge of the president of the country… There’s no scope to deny this fact. Khaleda Zia, in her statement, exactly meant this,” he said , according to a news agency.