By Sumi Khan

Dhaka, Dec 15 (IANS): Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday hit out at the US and Canada for protecting murderers and human rights violators, saying: "I ask them to send back the convicted murderers of the Father of the Nation (Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujeeb-ur-Rehman), but they didn't."

Mentioning the BNP-Jamat-i-Islami killers, she said that the US and Canada are only busy in protecting the rights of the human rights violators.

Presiding over a discussion meeting organised by her Awami League at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre to mark the 'Martyred Intellectuals Day', she also said that military dictator and BNP founder Ziaur Rahman started disappearances and killings in Bangladesh, killing hundreds of armed forces officers and freedom fightes in jails across the country and the firing ground in Dhaka Cantonment alongside the killings of numerous AL leaders and workers.

The relatives of the victims have yet to get bodies of their near and dear ones, Sheikh Hasina said, alleging that BNP chief Khaleda Zia had followed the same path that her husband did and killed thousands of AL leaders and activists.

She also asked how the money of the orphans got deposited into Khaleda Zia's accounts.