Dhaka: Hitting out at Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader for criticising BNP for not chalking out any programme to mark the Genocide Day, its secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Sunday raised a counter question about the late realisation of the ruling party about the day.

“It’s surely a genocide day. It’s long been recognised that genocide took place on March 25 (1971). We’ve a counter question whether Awami League realised it as a Genocide Day after so long time,” he said.

Fakhrul came up with the remarks while talking to reporter after paying homage to BNP founder Ziaur Rahman by placing wreaths at his grave marking the Independence Day.

The nation on Saturday observed the 'Genocide Day' for the first time with elaborate programmes, commemorating the cowardly attack on Bangalees and the mass killing in Dhaka by the Pakistani occupation forces on March 25 in 1971.

On March 11 last, Parliament unanimously adopted a resolution to observe March 25 as the Genocide Day. The Cabinet Division issued a gazette notification on March 21 in this regard.

At a programme in the city on Saturday, Quader asked BNP to clear its position on the Liberation War as the party did not take out any programme to mark the Genocide Day.

As his attention was drawn to the AL leader’s comment, Fakhrul said their party always remembers March 25 as a Genocide Day and unofficially observes it.

Since Awami League has now officially announced it as a Genocide Day, he said, their party will think how to observe it in the days to come.

The BNP leader said though Awami League had been in power thrice earlier since 1972, it did not take any initiative to officially recognise the day and observe it. “Perhaps they for the first time felt that there is a Genocide Day.”

He also slammed Quader for accusing BNP of backing militancy, saying the government itself is patronising militancy. “They aren’t carrying out proper investigation into the incidents relating to extremism to root out militancy.”

Fakhrul said the government is blaming BNP for growing militant incidents with a political motive.

He said their party had offered to forge a national unity to eliminate militancy, but the government did not respond to it. “They want to keep the issue alive to make its political gain.”

Voicing deep concern over the killing of six people, including two law enforcement agency members, in bomb attacks by militants in Sylhet, the BNP leader said the government should properly investigate all the incidents.

He called upon the government to forge a national unity with all parties to put up a strong resistance against militancy and terrorism.

Fahkurl said democracy which was the main spirit of the Liberation War is now absent in the country. “The government has snatched people’s all rights, including freedom of expression and voting.”