In 2007, a blueprint was created to destroy Bangladesh's democracy and political landscape. One of the main creators of this blueprint was Prothom Alo and The Daily Star groups. They not only created the blueprint but also carried out a series of dirty and malicious journalism to remove Begum Khaleda Zia from politics.
The implementation of the plan to exclude Begum Zia from politics began on 2007. As part of this initiative, Prothom Alo interviewed Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, the then leader of BNP. Subsequently, a reform proposal was created for BNP, which was a joint production of Matiur Rahman and Mahfuz Anam.
The news published in Prothom Alo on June 26, 2007, under the headline "Proposal to Strip Khaleda of Power," which stated: "The general secretary of the party, Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, has announced the draft of a reform proposal that reduces the absolute power of BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia."
The draft proposal stated that if anyone serves as prime minister for two terms, they will no longer be able to serve as prime minister or party chairperson. If this proposal is implemented, Begum Khaleda Zia would truly be deprived of power. She would no longer have the opportunity to serve as party chairperson, and even if the party comes to power in the future, she would not be able to become prime minister.
In the proposal announced by Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan yesterday, it was stated that this provision of the constitution would be amended. It said that the party chairperson would be elected for three years by direct vote of the members of the national council. No individual would be allowed to hold the chairperson's position for more than two terms or six years. This rule would also apply to those who have already served for six years.
Prime Minister Must Resign from Chairperson Position: According to the proposal, if the party chairperson takes the oath as prime minister, they must resign from the chairperson's position. The prime minister would need to consult with the party chairperson and the national standing committee on policy decisions while overseeing the government and parliament. Anyone who has served as prime minister for more than two terms would no longer be able to serve as both prime minister and party chairperson.
Power Deprivation: Under the current constitution of the party, the chairperson has absolute authority in matters such as disbanding committees and imposing punishments. The amendment proposed that the chairperson would no longer be able to exercise this power without the approval of the national standing committee. Every year, members of the national executive committee, MPs, ministers, and members of other committees would have to provide an asset report to the national executive committee. The involvement of family members and close relatives of party leaders in the selection of officials at all levels would be discouraged.
The Minus Formula, created by Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, was designed to eliminate Begum Zia from politics. In pursuit of this goal, the 1/11 government of 2007 arrested Begum Zia and her son Arafat Rahman Koko. It is worth noting that Tarique Rahman had already been arrested earlier.
To justify Begum Zia's arrest, Prothom Alo and The Daily Star repeatedly published false stories about her and her family. The Prothom Alo group manufactured misleading reports targeting BNP.They even carried out smear campaigns against Begum Zia's younger brother, Shamim Iskandar, who had always stayed away from politics. Prothom Alo portrayed the August 21 incident as a "terrorist attack."
A journalist from Prothom Alo, Tipu Sultan, reported "Shamim Iskandar amassed illegal wealth by bankrupting the airline." This report was later proven to be entirely false.It should be noted that the case in which Begum Zia was sentenced in 2018 was also initiated by Prothom Alo.
Prothom Alo and The Daily Star were the first to publish false and baseless reports regarding corruption in the Zia Orphanage Trust and the Zia Charitable Trust as part of the political neutralization effort. On August 6, 2007, Prothom Alo published a fabricated report about alleged corruption in both trusts. Based on this report, the Anti-Corruption Commission filed cases to intimidate and harass Begum Zia and Tarique Rahman.
Therefore, it can be said without a doubt that the responsibility for the wrongful and inhumane imprisonment of Begum Zia during the regime of the former fascist government lies with Prothom Alo and The Daily Star. It was based on Prothom Alo's fictional stories that the false case verdict was delivered. Now Prothom Alo and The Daily Star have changed their tune, but how can the people of Bangladesh ever forget their toxic media practices?
