BSS-66 PM-MOURNING-DISCUSSION-BCL-2-LAST

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ZCZC

BSS-66

PM-MOURNING-DISCUSSION-BCL-2-LAST

The premier hoped that the history will one day expose the conspirators of the August 15, 1975 carnage, saying, “The conspirators behind the scene have not yet been exposed…this history will be revealed one day…”

But, she said, that they held the trial of killers to ensure justice.

The premier once again accused military dictator Ziaur Rahman of resorting to the politics of killings and forced disappearance and said that after assuming power Zia had killed many freedom fighter army officials including Brigadier Huda and Khaled Mosharraf after staging coups one after another and killed the national four leaders inside the jail alongside killing and making forced disappearance of hundreds of leaders and activists of Awami League.

She added: “I want to ask those who are nowadays making allegations of disappearances and killings as who had started killings and disappearances. Zia even passed an indemnity bill to stop the trail of the killings aimed at giving the killers protection.”

Those who are now making the allegations of disappearances and killings, even did not criticize the acts done by Zia, she said.

The prime minister said Khaleda Zia had shown the same ugly face after assuming office in 2001 with killing thousands of leaders and activists of the Awami League in the name of “Operation Clean Heart” and passed the indemnity bill likewise her husband to give protection to the people by whom she did the heinous crimes.

While coming to power, the Awami League took the path of making sure the country’s overall development instead of choosing the path of revenge, she said, adding that for timely measures taken by her government the country had become self-reliant in food production in 1998.

Referring to the August 15, 1975 heinous carnage in the world history, the prime minister said that it was difficult for her to run the state with bearing such pains of losing everybody of her family except herself and her younger daughter Sheikh Rehana.

The assassins killed her father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, mother Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib, three brothers- Sheikh Kamal, Sheikh Jamal and Sheikh Russell- and wives of Sheikh Kamal and Sheikh Jamal, she added.

“But, I am running the state with a desire to bring smiles on the faces of the people for whom my father had struggled throughout his life,” she said, making a vow to change the lot of the countrymen by making Bangladesh a prosperous and developed country free from poverty and hunger.

The Father of the Nation gave an independent country, she said, adding that Bangabandhu made the nation prepared in phases since 1948 to liberate the country through the Liberation War of 1971.

About many ill attempts to erase the name of Bangabandhu from the country’s history, she said that truth cannot be suppressed, that is why the historic March 7, 1971 speech of Bangabandhu is now internationally recognized.

Recalling the contribution of her mother Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib to her father Bangabandhu’s life, she said “My father had gotten scope to work completely for the welfare of the country and its people as my mother never bothered him (Bangabandhu) regarding the familial matters.”

The premier said her mother always used to encourage Bangabandhu in doing politics for the people and never cared about her own interests and she never thought what she would get in her personal life.

Sheikh Hasina reminisced that Bangamata even saved every single penny which she got from her father’s assets and handed over those to her husband (Bangabandhu) to do politics.

“Alongside looking after the family affairs, Bangamata used to take care of the families of the detained and ailing leaders and arrange their treatment,” she continued.

In absence of Bangabandhu, Bangamata had shouldered his (Bangabandhu) every responsibility and took right decisions as she knew what the masses wanted, she said referring to Bangamata’s rejection of Bangabandhu’s release on parole in the Agartala Conspiracy Case and chose the Six-Point Demand instead of eight-point demand that was intended to divert the six-point demand movement to another direction.

Referring to Banbanbandhu’s contribution to running the state, the prime minister said that she has now become astonished how Bangabandhu within a short period of time (three and a half years) gave a base for everything including enactment of laws regarding sea and land boundary.

She however said, “We are currently running the state following the ideology of Bangabandhu.”

Highlighting her government’s initiatives making overall developments of the country particularly in the education sector, the premier said they have attached priority on education as no nation could be developed without education.

She said her government would give further incentive to the students for making their uniforms.

The government has been giving importance on the science and technology based education alongside regular one, she said, adding that they made Bangladesh digital by giving importance to this end.

She went on saying, “The country has been progressing economically using the digital platforms despite the fact that the entire world got stuck by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The prime minister once again asked all to use face masks, make hands sanitized and wash hands with soaps and strictly follow the health guidelines to stop further transmission of the coronavirus.

BSS/AHJ/KU/2150 HRS