Zafrullah’s statement on pardoning Pakistan is BNP’s speech: Information Minister

Information Minister Hasan Mahmud said the recent statement by Gonoshasthaya Kendra trustee Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury, to pardon Pakistan, is actually a statement of the BNP.

"This is a BNP statement, which reveals that they [BNP] could not yet forget Pakistan. I strongly condemn this statement," said the minister at a programme in memory of late film actress Sarah Begum Kabari, founder and former president of the Bangabandhu Cultural Alliance.

The Bangabandhu Cultural Alliance organised the programme at the National Press Club on Tuesday.

Terming Dr Zafrullah a BNP-minded intellectual, Hasan Mahmud said, "Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury has recently requested the government to pardon Pakistan when we are demanding that Pakistan should seek pardon for their deeds in 1971."

The minister further said, "I demand from today's meeting that Pakistan should apologise to us for the injustice done to the people of Bangladesh and the crimes committed against humanity in 1971."

In a recent discussion, referring to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Dr Zafrullah said, "If you want to be part of history, the toughest thing to do is to engage in diplomacy. To this end, we have to forget all small mistakes. We have to forgive Pakistanis for the wrong they have done to us and engage diplomatically with them and others, including Turkey, Malaysia and Indonesia."

Asking the artist community to be aware the culture of Bangladesh is not distorted, the minister said, "We should not indulge in a foreign culture. Let us cherish our culture. Rabindranath Tagore would be ashamed if he were alive, to see the way Rabindra Sangeet is being sung with band music."

Rafiqul Alam, senior co-president of the Bangabandhu Cultural Alliance presided over the function.

State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Murad Hasan, Deputy Publicity and Publication Secretary of Bangladesh Awami League, Aminul Islam Amin, and film actress Salma Begum Sujata and others participated in the discussion.