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.
