Ziaur Rahman Aimed to Uplift Everyone: Nazrul Islam
BNP Standing Committee Member Nazrul Islam Khan stated that Ziaur Rahman aimed to uplift everyone through his politics of production. He toured villages to encourage the development of agriculture and cottage industries, and facilitated the export of products like shrimp. His initiatives turned an agriculture-dependent country into an industrially developed and prosperous one. To empower rural women, he introduced loans for traditional grinding mills (dhaki loans).
Nazrul Islam Khan made these remarks as the chief guest at a discussion titled "Zia's Contribution to the Development of Agriculture and Industry" organized by the divisional BNP at the Advocate Tarek Memorial Auditorium in Mymensingh Town Hall on Monday afternoon.
He mentioned that it is impossible to reveal the vast canvas of Ziaur Rahman's life in a short time. During the Liberation War, Zia established free administration in liberated areas. In 1975, when people were starving, he provided food to villages. By distributing fertilizers and digging canals, he increased the country's food production, making it self-sufficient. He motivated farmers to convert single-crop lands into triple-crop fields and encouraged households to raise ducks, chickens, and livestock. This is why people wept upon hearing of Zia's death. He established the foundations of every pillar of the state and never belittled Mujibur Rahman. Even Begum Zia did not.
G-9 General Secretary Dr. Sayant Sakhawat Hossain remarked that there is no other life as illustrious as Ziaur Rahman's. He introduced the Ekushey Padak and Independence Award, which he did not distribute based on party affiliation. Esteemed figures like poets Shamsur Rahman and Sufia Kamal were recognized irrespective of their political stance.
Professor Dr. Mohammad Shahjahan, convenor of the Combined Professional Council, noted that Ziaur Rahman was the first to give respect to agriculturists and doctors. Syed Emran Saleh Prince criticized the state propaganda machinery's attempts to erase Zia's contributions, highlighting the ongoing issues of hunger and unpunished looters like Aziz and Benazir.
The meeting, chaired by BNP Organizational Secretary Syed Emran Saleh Prince and moderated by Mymensingh Metropolitan BNP Joint Convenor Abu Wahab Akand, featured speeches from Dr. Sayant Sakhawat Hossain, Professor Dr. Mohammad Shahjahan, BNP Assistant Organizational Secretaries Waris Ali Mamun and Shariful Alam, and Professor Abul Kalam Azad, convenor of BAKRIBI Sonali Dal.
Also present were Dr. Mahbubur Rahman Liton, convenor of Mymensingh South District BNP; Professor AK Enayetullah Kalam, convenor of North District BNP; Professor AKM Shafiqul Islam, convenor of Metropolitan BNP; Zakir Hossain Bablu, joint convenor of South District BNP; Professor Sheikh Amjad Ali, joint convenor of Metropolitan BNP; Motahar Hossain Talukdar, joint convenor of North District BNP; Dr. Anwarul Haque, convenor of Netrokona District BNP; Dr. Rafiqul Islam Hilali, secretary member; Dr. Mahmudul Haque Rubel, president of Sherpur District BNP; Muhammad Hazrat Ali, general secretary; former MP and member of the National Executive Committee Shah Nurul Kabir Shaheen; Advocate Arif Aziz, and other leaders from the BNP and its affiliated organizations, including agriculturists, doctors, lawyers, and journalists from the Mymensingh Division
