Farashuddin and many others were mum

Bangladesh Bank's former Governor and veteran economist Dr. Mohammed Farashuddin gave an interview to a Bengali newspaper recently. In that interview he recalled Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He is a renowned academic too who was the founding Vice Chancellor of East West University, Dhaka.

Dr. Farashuddin had the great fortune of working closely with Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as Bangabandhu's Private Secretary. A farewell was given to him on 14 August 1975 evening while the greatest tragedy of the nation, the assassination of Bangabandhu took place on 15 August 1975.

Farashuddin went abroad weeks later. Now questions have come up how he managed to leave the country after the killing of Bangabandhu because a number of people who were intimate with Bangabandhu were thrown into prison like Abdur Razzaq, Amir Hussain Amu, Tofail Ahmed, RAM Obaidul Muktadir Chowdhury, Professor Nim Chandra Bhowmik and so on. So, why and on what grounds Dr. Mohammed Farashuddin was spared-it is a big interrogative sign.

HT Imam, who is currently Political Adviser to the Prime Minister, was compelled on gunpoint to administer oath to the cabinet members of Khondaker Mushtaq following the murder of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Farashuddin's curriculum vitae (CV) which was found on the website of East West University does not exactly give any information about what he did during the years from 1975 to 1979. Monwarul Islam, a highly meritorious ex government official who stood first in CSP (Civil Service of Pakistan) in 1962 recalled that the loyalists of Bangabandhu organized a milad mahfil in America

on 15 August 1976. Dr. AK Abdul Momen who is now Foreign Minister, Dr. Mashiur Rahman who is at present Economic Adviser to the Prime Minister and some other people who loved Bangabandhu participated in the milad mahfil.

Dr. Farashuddin was invited to join the milad mahfil but he abstained from attending the program.Political sources have implied that Farashuddin compromised with Khondaker Mushtaq's government after the killing of Bangabandhu and thus he managed to avoid persecution at the hands of the authorities who took up state power after Bangabandhu was murdered.

Farashuddin was the Rapporteur of the UNDP Governing Council in 1980. He also was a member of the Bangladesh delegation team in the LDC (least developed countries) conference in Paris in 1981. He came back to Bangladesh when former President Ziaur Rahman was in power.

Dr. Mohammed Farashuddin gave Bangabandhu memorial speech in 2011 and one of his books on Bangabandhu was published by Agami Prokashoni in the same year.Some Bangladeshi diplomats who were posted in foreign countries during 1975 protested Bangabandhu's assassination and worked for gathering global opinions against the killers at that time.

Humayun Rashid Chowdhury, Syed Muazzem Ali, Abdur Razzak, Muhammad Zamir, KG Mostafa are some of them. Bangabandhu's press secretary Aminul Islam Badshah, who left Bangladesh after 15 August 1975, also raised his voice against the killings of Bangabandhu and his family members.

People who adhere to Bangabandhu's ideology expect that Dr. Mohammed Farashuddin will clarify his role after the assassination of Bangabandhu, particularly what political avocations he pursued during 1975 to 1979.RAM Obaidul Muktadir Chowdhury is a Member of Parliament of Awami League who is at present Chairman of the Standing Committee on Civil Aviation and Tourism. He shared his remembrances of Bangabandhu's murder with The Asian Age.

He said, "We brought out a demonstrative procession on 20 October 1975 denouncing the murder of Bangabandhu. Then we left for India at the beginning of 1976 according to our party's decision. In Indi we continued our protest against Bangabandhu's assassination.

We came back to Bangladesh in the same year and were arrested. However, some people who now claim themselves to be Bangabandhu's stalwarts did no protest after Bangabandhu's murder. Now they are shedding crocodile tears. Actually these people have no compassion for Bangabandhu."

RAM Obaidul Muktadir Chowdhury was Private Secretary to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from 1996 to 2001. Mujahidul Islam Selim, who is now President of Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), brought out the procession of 20 October 1975.

He united Chhatra League and Chhatra Union (BSU) on one stage to demonstrate against the murder of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Deutsche Welle (DW) published a report on this incident on 15 August, 2013.

Thousands of students visited Bangabandhu's residence at Dhanmondi 32 on 4 November 1975. They offered Gayebana Janaza praying for eternal peace for the departed souls of Bangabandhu and his family members.Nim Chandra Bhowmik is another victim of the persecution that came down on the supporters of Bangabandhu. Nim Chandra Bhowmik is a former ambassador and currently a columnist for The Asian Age.

Former diplomat Muhammad Zamir told The Asian Age that Jahangir Saadat, who was then posted as First Secretary (local rank) in Brussels, took Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana to the border of Germany after Bangabandhu's assassination.

RAM Obaidul Muktadir Chowdhury further said that Dr. Mohammed Farashuddin did not play any role to protest Bangabandhu's murder neither in Bangladesh nor abroad.

He remarked that some people are now talking big things about Bangabandhu but they actually had no leaning towards the Father of the Nation.Many victims told The Asian Age that the history of after 15-August and activities of Zia-Ershad regimes should be focused on a transparent way, otherwise new generations will be misguided.