"By trying a handful of lower-level operatives and then declaring the case closed, an attempt will be made to protect the masterminds behind my father's killing," Reza Kibria said in an exclusive statement given to The Daily Star recently.

"We are deeply distressed at the manner in which the investigation has moved so far. The investigation officer (IO) has failed in discharging his duties," lamented the Oxford-educated son of SAMS Kibria, killed in a grenade attack in his home district of Habiganj on January 27 this year.

Reza Kibria argues there are strong grounds for believing that the IO has intentionally avoided investigating certain leads that might have implicated important people. "In foiling the probe, the IO has been assisted by the Habiganj district administration, which had failed to provide security to my father."

In the probing process, the IO did not pursue relevant clues to ascertain the source of the explosives used in the killing, the funding sources and also the aspects of training imparted to the perpetuators for throwing the grenades with such precision, Reza, a DPhil in Economics, explained.

Reza alleged that Abdul Qaiyum, an accused in the Kibria killing, intended to give a confessional statement under section 164 before a magistrate, but police refused to allow him to do so.

Dr. Reza Kibria, an economist by profession who is currently the Director of Economic Governance at the Key Center for Ethics, Law, Justice and Governance of Griffith University, Australia, recalled with a deep sense of frustration that, "We filed two prayers pleading for further investigations at the local level in Habiganj, but the honourable magistrates concerned rejected those pleas back in May. The reasons shown for such rejections did not satisfy us. So we made an appeal to the High Court, which issued an order staying the case proceedings till mid-November."

The son of the assassinated Awami League leader and former Executive Secretary of UN Escap found it hard to believe the killing of his father was an act of only the lower-level BNP operatives in Habiganj. Rather, "they must have their mentors in the upper echelon of the party in power and the masterminds needed to be identified," he said.

"The government is fully capable of influencing the judicial process as there is no independence of the lower judiciary in this country," he feared.

A judge can only try a case on the basis of the information provided by the IO, noted Reza, adding that, "if this information is flawed at the source, of course, there is a fundamental problem. That is why we called for the involvement of an independent agency."

Reza Kibria went on to add that the Prime Minister herself stated in the Jatiya Sangsad that a failure in the Habiganj administration led to such an assassination being possible.

"It's interesting to note that all eight arrested people and two more fugitives belong to Habiganj BNP. Regrettably, the PM never condemned the actions of her partymen as in the Ahsanullah Master case."

He wondered why the BNP central leadership remained aloof and whether it considers Habiganj BNP as a separate entity. "Does not the BNP central leadership have control over the Habiganj BNP," he asked.

"It is important to find the masterminds not just for the sake of justice but to ensure that such killings come to an end. As long as the masterminds feel that they can arrange political murders with impunity, the reign of terror will continue," said Reza Kibria.

"If the government feels that this clumsy attempt to hide the truth (by hurrying up the trial process) will protect the killers, they're grossly mistaken. We'll continue our campaign to the end," asserted Reza, who worked for the IMF in Washington for almost a decade and now works as an economic consultant for various governments on public sector reform issues.

He claimed the ongoing campaign spearheaded by his mother is not only about seeking justice for his father's killing. "My mother calls for justice for all political killings. I'd refer everyone to our website: www.kibria.org, where we have collected articles on various issues. Obviously my father's case concerns us personally, but our family is committed to supporting changes towards breaking the culture of impunity."

On the criticism that their campaign at home and abroad is tarnishing the image of the country as a whole, Reza argued that, "Unsolved political murders and bombings damage our image. Revealing the fact that crimes are taking place can't be blamed for image denting."

"We're prepared for a protracted and difficult campaign to obtain justice. In this country, under this government, one cannot expect justice without making an extraordinary effort."

"Internationally and domestically our campaign will go on and we'll expand it in the months ahead," said a resolute Reza.