DHAKA, 8 July 2004 — Prime Minister Khaleda Zia yesterday told Parliament that adequate security measures have been taken for the opposition leader — far better than she deserves — but said question arose about the veracity of the reported threat on her life.
Her comments came during the question-hour session in the House when Kader Siddiqui wanted to know about security reinforcement for Sheikh Hasina after she received death threats while in Turkey on Monday.
Zia said she also read the news and wondered why such a threat was given abroad.
As the question of assassination threat has been raised and a general diary filed, the government has taken adequate security measures for the opposition leader and that would continue.
“We don’t believe in the politics of vengeance,” Khaleda Zia said.
She, however, reminded the lawmakers of what happened to her partymen and herself while out of power. “When we were in the opposition, the present opposition did not give any security, it rather attacked us. “
As the leader of the opposition enjoys the rank of a Cabinet minister, she deserves security usually allotted to a Cabinet member.
Hasina on Tuesday alleged the Dhaka government has assigned a terrorist to unleash death threat on her and it would be responsible for any eventuality.
Answering queries from journalists, the Awami League chief, who returned from Turkey, said that a man identifying himself as ‘Kala Jahangir’ — a dreaded terrorist — phoned her first in her hotel in Istanbul. And then she received repeated phone calls under the name of Russel, heryoungest brother assassinated in 1975 along with her parents and other kin.
“It is now crystal clear that those who killed my parents and rewarded the killers are behind the death threat...it came with patronage from local force,” she said.
