Khaleda's house
BNP leaders fail to mention that Begum Zia has got another house, a four-storied one, in Gulshan, in addition to the Cantt. House. What more could the fawning legislators of the then ruling party do for her? One house to live in and the other for earning rent! The allotment of a house inside a cantonment, meant for a serving military officer, to her was illegal ab initio. But nobody cared!
Now what has happened to the circuit house in Chittagong where president Zia was killed? The BNP govt. turned it into a museum which nobody visits as there is nothing worth seeing. So we find that the three state-owned properties have been usurped by the Zia family! Is it fair? If residential houses inside the cantonment were allotted to the widows of military officers, then very soon nothing would be left for the serving officers!
If the BNP govt. wanted to help Begum Zia at that crucial time, they could give her a house in DOHS temporarily and also grant her a monthly subsistence allowance suitable for a reasonably decent living with her then minor sons.
According to her wealth statement submitted to the ACC , she has more than Tk.3 crore and her sons are worth much more than that!
My point is, the govt. should not dole out govt. money and property without ascertaining first all relevant facts regarding a prospective beneficiary. Also it must ensure that its actions are fair and just and it does not create a bad precedent.
It appears that a few days ago some people sought the reaction of the US embassy on the issue and instead of refusing to comment on a purely domestic matter, their spokesman said they would like a dialogue on it between the parties! This is a bad case of unwanted interference.
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