Social Welfare Minister Says Major Zia Took Charge of a Despairing Nation

Photo: CNI

News Desk: Social Welfare and Women and Children Affairs Minister Professor Dr. A.Z.M. Zahid Hossain has said that the name most closely associated with Bangladesh’s emergence is that of Major Ziaur Rahman, stating that he assumed responsibility for the nation at a time when people were directionless and in despair.

He made the remarks on Friday (July 3) while responding to questions from journalists after paying tribute and offering prayers at the first burial site of former President Ziaur Rahman in Pomra, Rangunia, Chattogram.

Dr. Zahid Hossain said, “The name associated with the birth of this nation is Major Ziaur Rahman. Motivated by his love for the motherland, he was the first to rebel in Chattogram as a major of the East Bengal Regiment. At a time when the nation had no direction and was engulfed in despair, Major Zia took responsibility upon his own shoulders.”

He further said, “No one wants to learn from history. In the past, attempts were made to impose a distorted version of history. Our children and the new generation were taught a false narrative. Is the lesson of history the events of August 5, 2024, when people fled by helicopter? History cannot simply be manufactured; it is created. That history was created by martyred President Ziaur Rahman.”

Earlier, the minister laid a wreath at the first burial site of the late President Ziaur Rahman in Jiannagar, Pomra, offered special prayers, and planted a tree sapling. He later visited the Rangunia Vocational Training Centre for Orphans and Destitute Children, where he distributed clothing and educational materials among trainees of the institution’s 48th batch.

Addressing the trainees, Dr. Zahid Hossain said that additional post-training initiatives would be introduced so that those who receive vocational training no longer consider themselves disadvantaged. He also said efforts would be made to develop Jiannagar in Rangunia into a place where future generations could continue to pay tribute to the legacy of former President Ziaur Rahman.

The event was moderated by Mohammad Shahidul Islam, Director of the Chattogram Divisional Social Services Office. Among those who addressed the programme were Members of Parliament Md. Ershad Ullah (Chattogram-8) and Humam Qader Chowdhury (Rangunia), Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md. Nazmul Hasan, and Deputy Superintendent of the Vocational Training Centre for Orphans and Destitute Children, Md. Chanaullah. Leaders and activists of the BNP and its affiliated organizations also attended the event.

According to historical records, following his assassination at the Chattogram Circuit House on May 30, 1981, President Ziaur Rahman was initially buried in Pomra, Rangunia. His remains were later transferred to Dhaka and reinterred at Chandrima Udyan, now known as Zia Udyan.