Mujibur Rehman's assassination killed the spirit of Bangladesh, says war veteran

The assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rehman was the blackest day in the history of Bangladesh, academician and 1971 liberation war veteran Syed Anwar Husain said here.

"15th of August is a black day in the history of Bangladesh. With his assassination, I would suggest the assassins also have assassinated the spirit of Bangladesh which has emerged out of the Liberation War," he said.

Husain urged the government to speed up the process to extradite those accused in the assassination and bring them to justice at the earliest.

"It is quite redeeming that Bangladesh has been able to try the killers and implement the verdict, partially however. There are as many as six killers living abroad. The government has been trying to bring them back and put them to justice, and we demand that the sooner this is done the better it is for the nation of Bangladesh," he said.

Recalling the 'Liberation War' days Husain said it was the inspirational leadership of Sheikh Mujibur that led the struggle and made the dream of Bangladesh's independence into a reality.

"During the Liberation War he was behind the bars in Pakistan and in his absence his political comrades everything properly to lead the Liberation War in his name and that is why he was the main catalyst in the emergence of Bangladesh as an independent state and he was revidely the founder of Bangladesh," he said.

Sheikh Mujibur, who was the President of Bangladesh, was killed, along with most of his family in a military coup on August 15, 1975.

Only his two daughters, including current Prime Minister Sheikh Hassina and Sheikh Rehana who were abroad survived the tragic event.