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Remarks on AK Khandker's Book

BNP slams AL

Muhith rejects demand for censorship of book; Menon questions source of info

City Desk
The BNP yesterday ripped into the Awami League leaders for slating Air Vice-Marshal (retd) AK Khandker for his recent book, “1971: Bhetore Baire", in which he made the controversial claim that Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had shouted “Joy Pakistan" at the end of his historic March 7 speech in 1971.
The book resented them because it speaks the truth, said party spokesperson Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir during a prayer event for late finance minister Saiftir Rahman, at BNP’s Nayapaltan office in the capital.
Meanwhile, Finance Minister AMA Muhith rejected Thursday's demand of AL and Jatiya Party lawmakers in parliament that the book be banned for "distorting historic facts".
He said one should protest a book only by writing another.
“No censorship...I strongly rejects the demand for censorship of any book... you can write another book to voice your thoughts," Muhit told the opening of a two-week book fair in the capital's public library, organised by Academic and Creative Association of Bangladesh.
Separately, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minster Rashed Khan Menon said AK Khandker had reached the level of Tarique Rahman, the BNP senior vice chairman, byproviding
false information.
"One has to portray history objectively... Khandker did not hear the information he wrote... Before using something, you must verify your source of information," he told a rally of his Workers' Party in Gazipur.
On Thursday, lawmakers of both treasury and opposition benches in parliament slammed Khandker, the planning minister in the last tenure of the AL, for his book. In his speech, AL lawmaker Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim demanded trial of Khandker on sedition charges.
Referring to Selim's remarks, Fakhrul said the comments of the AL leaders proved that they only recognised one person (Bangabandhuj and did not acknowledge others' contributions. As the AL leaders did not accept the truth, they urged filing of sedition charges against Khandker, he added.
Referring to the claim in the book, the BNP acting secretary said it proved that AL had no preparations for the liberation war, and therefore its leaders escaped into India without joining the war.
AK Khandker was the deputy chief of liberation forces during the war in 1971.