SANGSAD BHABAN, July 11, 2018 (BSS)- Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said
empowerment of women in the country is possible if the ongoing democratic process
remain continued.
She said womenfolk would loss their freedom and may again be subjected to the torture
and intimidation without continuation of the Awami League government in future.
The prime minister said this in reply to supplementary question from female member
Nurjahan Begum in the parliament during the Prime Minister’s question-answer session
with Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Choudhury in the chair.
The prime minister said people of Bangladesh have experienced what kind of situation
women had to face when BNP-Jammat came to power in 2001. They tortured and carried
violence on women like Pakistani occupation force in 1971, she said.
Pointing out some incident took place in Rajshahi, Khulna and elsewhere in the country
the prime minister said even the children could not escape gang rape of the criminals.
Their first target was the women and they left no area of the country, she said adding that
people rejected BNP-Jamaat in 2008 election for their misdeeds.
In an oblique reference to BNP chairperson, the prime minister said how a former prime
minister, even being a woman, can eat up the money of orphans, which is totally
unthinkable.
“For ten years she tried to prove herself innocent in the court, but failed. Then the court
has lent her to jail,” she said adding that it’s a shame for whole womenfolk.
Sheikh Hasina said development of the country is possible only when peaceful
democratic situation prevails in the country and people can work freely in every field to
contribute to development.
She said the development projects taken by the Awami League government in its second
tenure for the development of womenfolk remained continued as the party came to power
for the third term.
“Development of womenfolk in Bangladesh would never be possible if the Awami
League would not come to the power in 2014,” she said.
Reiterating her government’s firm commitment to hold the next election free and fair the
Prime Minister said more than 6,000 polls at different level of local government and by-
election was held during the tenure of the present government and most of them had no
controversy.
The prime minister said people have rejected BNP-Jamaat for their mayhem in the name
of boycotting election in 2014 and in the name of movement to overthrow the
government in 2015.
Country’s women would be benefited if Awami League can come to power again and the
country would be able to prosper with joint efforts of men and women, she said.