Zafar Iqbal sympathises with brainwashed attacker

Eminent writer Prof Md. Zafar Iqbal has said that he holds no anger or ill-will towards the individual who attacked him with a knife on the Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) campus on March 3.

If anything, he rather conveyed his sympathy for him, after returning to  campus in Sylhet on Wednesday after 11 days.

Addressing a reception programme at Mukta Mancha of the campus organised by students, the famed science fiction writer opened up about his own thoughts on the incident.

“I don’t have any anger for him.

I feel sorry and sympathy for him. Why he did this? For going to heaven, which was pushed into his head? I’m afraid how much sad a person could be who believes he can go to heaven by killing someone,” he said.

Referring to the attacker, Zafar Iqbal said “Look at this world, how beautiful it is. He (Foyzur) can’t see and know any beauty of this world, only knows he can go to heaven by killing someone.”

“You people call me atheist, but I have read Holy Quran from start to bottom. A message of Holy Quran says if you kill anyone, you are killing the whole mankind or if you save someone, you are saving the whole nation,” he added.

“I repeatedly thought of Avijit, my student Ananta, Niloy, Dipan, Wasif and Humayun Azad, when I returned back after surviving. My name could also go into memory as like them,” he added.

He arrived at Sylhet Osmani International Airport by a flight of Novo Air at 12.45pm. His wife Prof Yeasmin Haq and daughter Yeashim Iqbal accompanied him.

Prof Farid Uddin Ahmed, vice-chancellor of SUST and its treasurer Dr. Illias Uddin Biswas welcomed Dr Zafar Iqbal.

Escorted by police, they reached the campus at 1:30pm.

A young man, Foyzur Rahman, swooped on Prof Zafar Iqbal and stabbed him with a knife at the Mukta Mancha during a celebration programme, 'Robofight,' of the Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) department on March 3.

The renowned writer was first taken to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital and then airlifted to the CMH in Dhaka on the same day at the directive of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Source: dailysun