Dr Kamal, civil society members have gone under convicts’ leadership: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Tuesday came down heavily on Dr Kamal Hossain and some civil society members for joining hands with BNP-Jamaat nexus, saying they have gone under the leadership of convicted persons.

“Dr Kamal Hossain and some civil society members joined hands with those leaders of a party who were convicted for corruption, embezzling orphans’ money, 10-truck arms smuggling and the August 21 grenade attack…To whom they went for protecting democracy?” she said.

Sheikh Hasina added that they had gone under the leadership of those who were convicted for harbouring terrorism and militancy in the country. “They’ve forged unity with the convicted people to restore democracy…it’s very unfortunate for Bangladesh,” she said.

The prime minister was addressing a function here this evening where more than 150 retired officers of Army, Navy and Air Force expressed solidarity with the Awami League and pledged to work for the party’s victory in the upcoming national election.

PM’s Security Adviser Major General (retd) Tariq Ahmed Siddiq, Ex- Principal Staff Officer of Armed Forces Division Lt Gen (retd) Abdul Wadud, Rear Admiral (retd) Harunur Rashid, Major General (retd) Helal Morshed Khan, Air Commodore (retd) Kazi Delwar Hossain and Lt Col (retd) Kaniz Fatema also spoke on the occasion, among others.

AL Presidium Member Lt Col (retd) Muhammad Faruq Khan, its Joint Secretaries Jahangir Kabir Nanak and Abdur Rahman and Organising Secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim and BM Mozammel Haque were present on the dais.

Earlier, the retired armed forces officers greeted the prime minister by presenting bouquets.

Of them, 109 were Army officers, 19 Navy officers and 18 are Air Force officers.

The prime minister said Dr Kamal Hossain and others are always vocal against terrorism and corruption. “But for saving democracy, they gathered at such a place of which leaders were involved in terrorism and corruption,” she said.

She said Dr Kamal Hossain and some civil society members always speak about various principles. “By joining hands with corrupts and terrorists, to where have gone their principles and under whom they’re taking nominations?”

In this connection, Sheikh Hasina posed a question what type of democracy they want to bring in the country by forging a unity with corrupts and terrorists.

“My question is that where is lack of democracy and what is its definition…what type of democracy they want to give and they could not say that definition,” she said.

The prime minister said how those, who did not abide by laws, will establish the rule of law and root out militancy and terrorism from the country. “I don’t know how Bangladesh will be developed by those who destroyed the country,” she said.

About her dialogue with Jatiya Oikyafront, led by Dr Kamal Hossain, Sheikh Hasina said: “They wanted to talk to us and we held dialogue (with them) as many as they wanted. We did it to create a beautiful environment and the elections are held”.

In this connection, she urged the countrymen to stay alert against those who are always engaged in conspiracy. “You will have to remain careful about those who always hatch plots against the country and its people,” she said.

The prime minister said there are some people in the country who always utter beautiful words and speak about various principles. “But, we see many times that they give up their principles and their personal interests take place there,” she said.

Recalling Bangabandhu’s outstanding leadership in liberating the country and rebuilding war-ravaged Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina said losing Bangabandhu within three and a half years of the country’s independence was a great loss for the nation.

“Bangladesh would have been turned into a developed and prosperous country within 10 years of the independence had Bangabandhu been alive,” she said.

The prime minister said she has been working hard to implement an ideology and spirit. “My all efforts are for materialising an ideology and spirit and I sacrificed everything of my life for it,” she said.

Sheikh Hasina said the Father of the Nation struggled his entire life with a dream, spirit and ideology to liberate the country. “But my only thinking is now to materialise Bangabandhu’s dream by making the independence meaningful and reaching its fruits to the people…I must do it,” she said.

Highlighting Bangladesh’s tremendous development over the last 10 years, the premier said her government has been able to bring down to poverty rate to 21 percent. “Our goal is to cut poverty rate by 4/5 percent further in the future and then we can declare Bangladesh as a poverty-free country,” she said.

“We’ve increased GDP growth rate to 7.86 percent and our target is to take it to the double digit,” she added.

Spelling her government’s steps for further modernisation and development of the armed forces, the prime minister said: “We want peace and don’t want to engage in war with anybody. But we must have preparations to resist if anybody attacks the country,” she said.

“The armed forces are symbol of our independence and sovereignty and they will have to be modernised and developed keeping this in mind,” she added.

In this connection, the prime minister said Bangabandhu had adopted an excellent defence policy. “Now we’re developing our armed forces in the light of his policy,” she said.

Sheikh Hasina thanked the retired armed forces officers for expressing their solidarity with the Awami League and pledging to work unitedly for the party in the upcoming elections.

“By casting votes for boat, we achieved the independence and ensured the development of the country,” she said.

Source: bss