Awami League presidium member Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, MP, called upon the members of the Hindu community not to be frustrated in the wake of the recent secret target killings of their Purohits (priests) and custodians of Ashrams by few suspected militants.
“Enemies are the enemies of all. They are enemies of democracy, independence and religion. Bangladesh believes in non-communal spirit. Hindus, Buddhists, Christians and Muslims are living in this region with communal synchronization for long,” he said.
The senior Awami League (AL) leader said this on Friday while addressing as chief guest at the biennial conference of Mahanagar Sarbajanin Puja Committee (MSPC) at the Dhakeshwari National Temple while AL joint general secretary Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif attended it as special guest.
Sheikh Selim said the attack on Hindu priests and custodians of temples are not only attacks on the Hindus rather these are attacks on the human beings.
“We the Hindus, Muslims, Christians and Buddhists are from a same family. We have to be united irrespective of caste and creed to save our loving motherland from the venomous bite of militancy and terrorism,” he said.
The AL presidium member said the ongoing secret killings and militant activities in the country will be stopped very soon as the Awami League government is preventing these with an iron hand.
“The militancy had emerged in the country during the rule of Ziaur Rhaman. He brought back Rajakars (collaborators of Pakistani occupation forces) in Bangladesh, who were fleeing in Pakistan, and he inducted them in his cabinet as ministers,” he said.
Sheikh Selim said the anti-liberation forcers usurped power and destroyed all the achievements of Independence following the assassination of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
He recalled the cooperation of India and Russia during the Liberation War of 1971 in Bangladesh.
“Bangladesh and India have ideological similarities. Both the countries believe in democracy and secularism,” he said.
The senior AL leader said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated his country’s unflinching support to Bangladesh to fight terrorism.
“We along with our neighbouring countries will make united efforts to uproot terrorism from the society,” he said.
Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif said the BNP-Jamaat clique perpetrated secret killings and launched attacks on the members of the Hindu community with an ulterior motive to disturb the existing ties between Bangladesh and India.
“The relation between Bangladesh and India is very deep in the hearts of two people, which had been forged with the spilling of bloods. It cannot be severed,” he said.
“They (BNP-Jamaat) are unleashing one after another attacks and killings on minority communities, secular people, free-thinkers, foreigners and religious institutions to oust the government and thwart the country’s development activities,” the AL leader said.
He said the militant group IS claimed the responsibility of different killings and attacks in Bangladesh including the Gulshan cafe‚ attack.
“But when the attackers and perpetrators were indentified and arrested, it was found that they are members of homegrown militant outlet JMB, Islami Chhatra Shibir, Jamaat ,” Hanif added.
“They have only one goal to ruin the independence, sovereignty and make Bangladesh a failed country like Pakistan,” he said.
Earlier, Indian Deputy High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dr Adarsh Swaika inaugurated the conference with lighting lamps (Pradip) while a group of dancers performed in a dance number to the tune of music to open the conference.
Bangladesh Puja Utjapan Parishad president Joyanta Sen Deepu, general secretary Advocate Tapas Kumar Paul, Conference Preparatory Committee convener DN Chattarjee and member secretary Shyamal Kumar Roy, MSPC general secretary Narayan Saha Moni addressed the function with MSPC president JL Bhowmik in the chair.
