Staff correspondent :

Prime Minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina today said some big countries want a sycophant government in Bangladesh because of its geographic location .

“Due to geographical position, some (big) countries want to establish such a government in Bangladesh which will flatter them obsequiously,” she said.

She said while addressing a discussion as the chief guest marking the National Mourning Day and 48th martyrdom anniversary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, organised by the Dhaka North and South City Awami League, in the Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC) here.

The Prime Minister came down heavily on some countries which are searching for democracy and fair election in Bangladesh despite the fact that democracy and the rights of casting votes have been established in the country through shedding blood by the Awami League leaders and activists.

“We have established democracy and voting rights in the country by shedding our blood,” she said.

To make the election fair, she said the AL led grand alliance had earlier proposed to prepare a voter list with photographs, introduce transparent ballot boxes when they were in opposition. After coming to power the Awami League government formed an election commission by enacting a law and made the commission independent economically, she added .

“Today, they (some big countries) are searching for democracy and the rights to casting votes in our country,” she said, adding that they may or may not know the past regarding democracy and election.

Military dictator Ziaur Rahman, from which pocket the BNP was established, first started playing ducks and drakes with the election by initiating the culture of vote rigging through holding yes or no vote and presidential vote and Ershad and Khaleda Zia (wife of Ziaur Rahman) followed the path of Zia.

Sheikh Hasina said big countries always try to bossing everywhere across the world.

Referring to the inhuman condition in Ukraine due to the ongoing conflict with Russia, she said, “They who have friends like them (big countries), they don’t need enemies.”

Brushing aside some countries which are talking about human rights conditions, disappearances and killings of people in Bangladesh, the premier said the USA and Canada have given shelter to killers Rashed and Noor of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and did not return them despite repeated appeal.

“We repeatedly requested the USA to return killer Rashed as he was convicted in the trial by our judiciary. They have no right to interfere with it. They are now patronizing the killer,” she said.

She continued killers Dalim and Rashid are changing their hideouts between Pakistan and Libya the whereabouts of another killer is yet to be traced .

“I thanked the countrymen and leaders and activists of the Awami League for standing beside me to hold the trials of the killers,” she said.

The Prime Minister said military dictator Ziaur Rahman was the killer of Bangabandhu and he enacted an indemnity ordinance to stop the trial of the killers and rewarded them by postings in Bangladeshi missions abroad.

Dhaka South and North City Corporation Mayors Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh and Atiqul Islam addressed the function.

Dhaka North City Awami League President AKM Bazlur Rahman presided over the event while Dhaka South City AL President Abu Ahammed Monnafi spoke and its General Secretary Humayun Kabir conducted it.

Dhaka North City AL Vice Presidents Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, Sadek Khan, MP, and Abdul Kader Khan, Joint General Secretary Motiur Rahman Moti, Organizing Secretaries AKM Mazhar Anam and Md Azizul Haque Rana, Family Affairs Secretary Meherunnesa Mery and Dhaka South City Awami League Vice Presidents, Dr Dilip Kumar Roy, Mizbaur Rahman Bhuiyan Ratan and Sajeda Begum, Joint General Secretary Qazi Morshed Kamal, Organizing Secretaries Akhter Hossain and Golam Sarwar Kabir, among others, also spoke .

At the outset of the programme, one minute silence was observed to show respect to the martyrs of the August 15, 1975 carnage and August 21, 2004 grenade attacks. Sheikh Hasina said they did not get justice for 35 years after assassination of her father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, mother and brothers on August 15 in 1975, adding that they had been able to hold the trial after the Awami League assumed office.

The Premier said why the countries, who are talking about human rights conditions in Bangladesh, did not raise voice regarding the matter and questioned, “Don’t we have human rights and the right to demand justice?”

She said the country’s apex court has declared illegal the way of grabbing state power by military dictators Ziaur Rahman and HM Ershad, adding that according to the court order the political parties —BNP and Jatiya Party—are also illegal.

The BNP only knows about the politics of killings, terrorism, militancy, conspiracy, corruption, money laundering and smuggling or arms trading, she said.

She alerted the countrymen that the BNP has been trying to destabilize peace in the country using the huge amount of money they embezzled through corruption.

Zia introduced democracy by imposing curfew in nights, she said, adding that 19 to 20 coups occurred in Bangladesh through which Zia killed thousands of military officials and soldiers to cling to power smoothly.

“I am amused to hear the word democracy from the BNP which was formed by killings, coups and conspiracies and the pockets of a person who grabbed state power illegally. It doesn’t suit BNP to talk about democracy and voting rights as the party had initiated the vote rigging and snatched away the voting rights of the people,” she said.

The AL chief said some so-called intellectuals have also been supporting the BNP.

The Prime Minister heavily criticized Khaleda Zia for celebrating fake birthday on August 15 when the whole nation observes the National Mourning Day with heavy heart marking killing of the Father of the Nation along with most of his family members.

Briefly describing the measures taken by her government to ensure overall socio-economic developments of the country and its people, Sheikh Hasina said that Bangladesh has been recognized as a developing nation and thus attained dignity and honour on the global stage, adding that Bangladesh will march ahead keeping its head high.

“Awami League is an organization of the people of this country. It works for welfare of the people. Let’s take a pledge today that we will materialize the dream of the Father of the Nation by changing fate of the people giving them an improved and beautiful life,” she said.

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