Renaming ZIA
Name sometime matters, if not always. Especially, while naming important state organisations, no government is expected to go for controversial names, let alone those of the erstwhile military dictators. Again, when the apex court of the country declares the regime of a particular military dictator as illegal, it becomes incumbent upon the government to follow the verdict in letter and spirit.
It is a matter of great regret that a section of the columnists are very brazenly making a fuss about the change of name of important establishment including that of the airport. I find no reason for writing special commentary on this account either. For a genuinely elected government, it may be just a routine matter to change the name of any government establishment, taking into consideration the sentiment of the people at large. So far I remember, no protest was made when the name of the airport at Chittagong was changed during the former 4-party alliance rule. Why so much commotion now?
Some people are even trying to quantify the matter by quoting from the politically motivated trash reports that “renaming of Zia International Airport alone is going to cost Taka 1,400 crores.” My question to them is how much cost was involved when the 4-party alliance changed the name of the international airport at Chittagong? Would they care to give the break-up of the cost from any authentic source? It is really sad that some of our renowned newspapers appear highly indifferent to edit such unacceptable data.
Even if it is accepted for argument's sake that a few “crores” of taka would be spent for this renaming purpose, should we go on to depict and even glorify a dictator's name which is associated with wilful accommodation of the anti-liberation collaborators?
It is widely believed that the new name of Hazrat Shah Jalal International Airport, after the name of the great saint of the subcontinent Hazrat Shah Jalal (RA), has been a landmark decision on the part of the present government and the cross-section of people welcomed this renaming, except a few who might have their own reasons.
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