UNB, Tokyo :
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday alleged that the BNP-Jamaat quarter has resorted to a new trick of killing selective people as they could not gain anything after killing so many people in broad daylight in 2015.
“Earlier, they were engaged in killings in public and broad daylight but couldn’t gain anything. Now they’re engaged in secret killings in a bid to destabilise the country, destroy the national economy and save war criminals,” she said.
The Prime Minister was addressing a civic reception accorded to her by the Bangladesh community in Japan held at Tokyo Imperial Hotel in the afternoon. “Innocent people like imams, priests, fathers of churches are killed by BNP-Jamaat to escalate tension so that the government faces questions abroad,” she added. Hasina mentioned that even a former US embassy staff and a USAID official Xulhaz Mannan, who is a pro-Awami League person and also the cousin of former Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni, was killed at his home so that Americans could raise questions.
She alleged that the BNP-Jamaat is indulging in such selective killings with an evil motive to create chaos in the country in a bid to deter the trial of war criminals. Mentioning that holding the trial of war criminals was the desire of the country’s people as well as the pledge of her government, the Prime Minister said with firm conviction that her administration will continue the war crimes trial process braving various obstacles. “The Father of the Nation had initiated the trial process after the War of Liberation and we have to continue it.”
Hasina also accused BNP chief Khaleda Zia of continuing the killing of the country’s innocent people in a bid to save war criminals. Recalling the three-month mayhem and atrocities carried out by the BNP-Jamaat in 2015 where some 450 people were burned to death alongside damaging huge public property, Hasina alleged that the BNP chief then had announced not to return home from her office without ousting the government, but she did return after having failed to get public response. About resumption of Dhaka-Tokyo Biman flights, she said she would look into the matter on her return home.
Mentioning that the world community now treats Bangladesh with dignity and honour, the Prime Minister said each and every expatriate Bangladeshi is the ambassador of the country and they have significant role in this regard. Urging the Bangladeshi expatriates not to get disappointed, she urged them to work with sincerity so that Bangladesh could not be undermined and maligned. The Prime Minister also recalled that Japan had always extended its hand of support to the Bangladesh’s overall development efforts. She said the inward remittances by the expatriate Bangladeshis are contributing a lot to the country’s socio-economic development. “We always remember the contributions of expatriate Bangladeshis towards the country’s development.” Besides, she said that some 500 acres of land will be allotted for Japanese investors to invest and establish industries in Bangladesh.
The Prime Minister also noted that her government’s steps for establishing 100 special economic zones across the country to attract more foreign investment. She mentioned that the government will set up special economic zones in particular areas considering the availability of raw materials of the concerned localities.
About the January-5 polls, Hasina said the people bestowed the responsibility of running the country upon her party despite vehement opposition by the BNP-Jamaat clique, and reiterated that she is ready to make any sacrifice to accomplish responsibilities. Citing the success of her government in winning maritime boundary cases with India and Myanmar, the Prime Minister said she also sought cooperation of Japan in extracting resources from the huge sea areas as well as more foreign investment to this end.
Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali, AL Leader Akhtaruzzaman, Bangladesh community leader Saleh M Arif and Sakura Saber, among others, spoke on the occasion.
