DHAKA, Dec 18, 2017 (BSS) – Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday expressed her belief that the people would reject forever the anti-liberation forces, their patrons, perpetrators of brutal arson attacks and the corrupt elements in votes.
“They will never be able to come to power. . . the people will not allow their installation to power,” she said while chairing an Awami League discussion marking the Martyred Intellectuals’ Day and Victory Day 2017 at Bangabandhu International Conference Center.
“The Victory Day celebrations drew huge enthusiast response of people particularly the youths this year as the history is now open before them,” Sheikh Hasina told the discussion at Bangabandhu International Conference Center as the party president.
Sheikh Hasina added that with their massive response the youths “made us hopeful about our prosperous future (as) none could now misguide them”.
She said 1971 martyrs’ sacrifices would never go in vein and none could play with peoples fate as everyone started getting the benefit of independence and aware about their future while Bangladesh now appeared as a dignified nation all over the world.
Awami League advisory council members o Amir Hossain Amu and Tofail Ahmed, presidium members Begum Matiya Chowdhury and Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, journalist and martyred intellectual Sirajuddin Hossain’s son Zahid Reza Noor and Awami League’s Liberation War affairs secretary Mrinal Kanti Das also spoke on the occasion.
Publicity Secretary of the party Dr Hasan Mahmud and Deputy Publicity Secretary Aminul Islam conducted the discussion.
Sheikh Hasina said BNP and some other political organisations rehabilitated the anti-liberation forces after Bangabandhu’s killing and even in recent years they inducted convicted war criminals sons and daughters of in their parties.
“The war criminals of Second World War are still being tried on charge of committing crimes against humanity . . . don’t they (BNP) have any sense or conscience,” she asked.
Sheikh Hasina said Awami League is the only party which is working for changing the peoples’ lot as part of a long heritage and recalled that Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman relinquished his ministerial position to reorganize the party at grassroots and preparing it for liberation.
She said Bangabandhu had floated the six-point demand to free the nation of the Pakistani clutches and on his own tread earned peoples mandate for the charter.
“From that time the Pakistani rulers started hatching conspiracy against him,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina said Pakistani juntas could not accept the Bengalis installation to power and therefore after Awami League’s overwhelming 1970 election victory they started to hatch their conspiracy afresh while they thought that no military power in the world could defeat them.
“But people of Bangladesh with the support of India and freedom loving people across the world made sure the defeat of the Pakistani military even with the support of a section of collaborators who unlashed unprecedented atrocity on the people,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina said Bangabandhu retrieved the country from the devastation within three and half years after the independence but he was brutally killed when the country was proceeding towards prosperity under his dynamic leadership.
“After Bangabandhu’s assassination, the freedom fighters who fought for liberating the country became criminals and the anti-liberation force became lords of the country,” she said describing Ziaur Rahman “main kingpin” of the plot to rehabilitate the war criminals in country’s politics.
Sheikh Hasina said the world history suggests that no country other than Bangladesh and Cambodia suffered so much for independence.
“Sensing their defeat in the war the Pakistani forces and their collaborators conspired to cripple the nation intellectually, killing the intelligentsia who were the nation’s brightest sons,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina said anyone having faith on the Liberation War spirit can never give indulgence to the anti-liberation forces and simultaneously patrons of the 1971 genocide perpetrators and supporters of Bangabandhu assassins can never be treated as pro-liberation forces.
“Awami League builds the country while BNP destroys . . . they pushed the country towards a complete state devastation to protect the war criminals and left to stone unturned to destroy the country’s economy alongside burning people to death,” she said.
The premier said accused BNP chief Khaleda Zia of instigating the mayhem while her son, “who was convicted for corruption and siphoned crore of wealth outside the country, was its planner”.
“They looted Taka 950 crore from the banks of Bangladesh. And yet they dream again to do politics and return to power,” the prime minister said.
Sheikh Hasina urged the people not to vote for them ever if they want socioeconomic development of the country and changes in the lots of the people.
“People will not nourish the war criminals and make them ministers again,” she said.