The BNP has said that if the party is held responsible for the killings in the August 21 grenade attack carried out during its rule, the Awami League (AL) will have to accept the blame for the carnage at the BDR headquarters that occurred during its rule. BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said this while responding to the court observation at a press conference at the party's central office yesterday (Friday). He also said the AL will also have to take the responsibility for killing of foreign diplomats, businessmen, NGO officials, university teachers, Imam-Muajjin, priests, bloggers and common people in attacks on the Holey Artisan Bakery and other places by militants during its rule.

The BNP leader criticised the court’s observations in the verdict in the August 21 grenade attack case, saying it was a reflection of political speeches made by AL leaders. “Like the countrymen, we were stunned by newspaper reports that the heinous grenade attack was carried out with the help of the then state machinery. The party thinks it is similar to the statements of AL leaders,” he said. He termed the court observations as "unexpected, illogical and unacceptable". "It did not say anything about the killings, enforced disappearances and repression on thousands of BNP leaders over the last 10 years," he said.

The court said the defeated forces of 1971 attempted to diminish the spirit of the Liberation War and halt development of the newly independent country by killing Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family members on August 15, 1975.

Following Bangabandhu’s assassination, four national leaders were murdered inside a prison through a conspiracy. But the conspiracy did not stop there. Later, an evil attempt was made on August 21, 2004 to turn the AL into a leaderless organisation, it added.

Fakhrul said BNP was not born in 1975 and no BNP leader was found accused in connection with the assassination of the four national leaders inside a prison. He also said no BNP leader was ever implicated in the killings. He wondered how did the court come up with such an observation by pointing a finger at the BNP for those gruesome incidents.

Referring to the court’s observation on the ruling party’s attitude towards the opposition, the veteran BNP leader said the AL’s behaviour towards its political opposition is blatantly opposite to the court’s observation. “We do expect that the AL will comply with the court’s observation,” he added.

The BNP leader mentioned that the court did not say anything about the repressive and oppressive acts that have been going on across the country for the last 10 years.

He said the observation has made the verdict questionable as the court did not say anything about the ongoing abductions, disappearances and fictitious cases being lodged against BNP men.

The BNP leader also said his party thinks that acting party chairman, Tarique Rahman, and other party leaders were convicted in the August 21 grenade attack case based on the second and illegal deposition of executed militant leader Mufti Hannan. He expressed that the apex court will consider the matter.

On Wednesday, a speedy trial tribunal sentenced 19 people to death, while it awarded life imprisonment to 19 others, including Tarique Rahman, and different jail terms to eight others in two cases filed in connection with the grenade attack on an AL rally in the capital on August 21, 2004.