UNB, Dhaka :
Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali on Friday said the country needs to be taken forward foiling all the conspiracies to continue the ongoing progress overcoming the post- and pre-election challenges.
Referring to comments some foreign friends in the western world made on Bangladesh during post- and pre-election situation, the Foreign Minister expressed his satisfaction saying ‘Now they’ve softened their voices.’
“The country has overcome the adverse situation and is marching ahead,” he said while addressing as the chief at a function at the Foreign Ministry marking
the historic flag hoisting at Bangladesh Mission in Kolkata.
On this day in 1971, then deputy high commissioner in Kolkata M Hossain Ali along with 65 officials and staff of the mission declared their allegiance to the Mujibnagar government by hoisting its red-green national flag atop the mission for the first time on a foreign land.
Going back to the post-election destruction carried out by the then opposition, Mahmood Ali said some of Bangladesh’s western friends described those activities as ‘violence’.
“But it wasn’t violence, it was terrorism. Even it was said that there had been excessive use of forces when steps were taken by the law-enforcing agencies as part of self-defence,” he said.
Expressing satisfaction over the normalcy that returned to life, Mahmood Ali said the past is important but it is more important to move ahead.
He said, despite various obstacles, the country is set to achieve around 6 percent GDP growth which shows better performance of Bangladesh compared to many countries.
He also criticised former national security adviser and US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger for his remarks on Bangladesh and described how he had told lie as the same Kissinger after 28 years in 1999 handed over the Unesco Peace Prize to then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Kissinger never supported the liberation of Bangladesh and termed Bangladesh ‘an international basket case’.
The Foreign Minister also shared his plan of expanding Foreign Ministry building and reconstitution of the Ministry for ensuring better performance.
Former Secretary and Ambassador Mohiuddin Ahmed, ex- ambassadors Waliur Rahman, Kazi Nazrul Islam, former diplomats Mostafizur Rahman, Anwar Hossain Chowdhury, and Hossain Ali’s daughter Joly Ahmed, among others, spoke on the occasion reminiscing their role in the War of Liberation.
Habibullah Habib, a nephew of late Hossain Ali, also spoke and apparently criticized the Foreign Ministry saying some of the Foreign Ministry officials do not know about Hossain Ali properly.
Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque, Secretary (Bilateral, Training and Consular) Mustafa Kamal, Director Generals (DGs) and relatives of Hossain Ali were also present.
Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali on Friday said the country needs to be taken forward foiling all the conspiracies to continue the ongoing progress overcoming the post- and pre-election challenges.
Referring to comments some foreign friends in the western world made on Bangladesh during post- and pre-election situation, the Foreign Minister expressed his satisfaction saying ‘Now they’ve softened their voices.’
“The country has overcome the adverse situation and is marching ahead,” he said while addressing as the chief at a function at the Foreign Ministry marking
the historic flag hoisting at Bangladesh Mission in Kolkata.
On this day in 1971, then deputy high commissioner in Kolkata M Hossain Ali along with 65 officials and staff of the mission declared their allegiance to the Mujibnagar government by hoisting its red-green national flag atop the mission for the first time on a foreign land.
Going back to the post-election destruction carried out by the then opposition, Mahmood Ali said some of Bangladesh’s western friends described those activities as ‘violence’.
“But it wasn’t violence, it was terrorism. Even it was said that there had been excessive use of forces when steps were taken by the law-enforcing agencies as part of self-defence,” he said.
Expressing satisfaction over the normalcy that returned to life, Mahmood Ali said the past is important but it is more important to move ahead.
He said, despite various obstacles, the country is set to achieve around 6 percent GDP growth which shows better performance of Bangladesh compared to many countries.
He also criticised former national security adviser and US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger for his remarks on Bangladesh and described how he had told lie as the same Kissinger after 28 years in 1999 handed over the Unesco Peace Prize to then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Kissinger never supported the liberation of Bangladesh and termed Bangladesh ‘an international basket case’.
The Foreign Minister also shared his plan of expanding Foreign Ministry building and reconstitution of the Ministry for ensuring better performance.
Former Secretary and Ambassador Mohiuddin Ahmed, ex- ambassadors Waliur Rahman, Kazi Nazrul Islam, former diplomats Mostafizur Rahman, Anwar Hossain Chowdhury, and Hossain Ali’s daughter Joly Ahmed, among others, spoke on the occasion reminiscing their role in the War of Liberation.
Habibullah Habib, a nephew of late Hossain Ali, also spoke and apparently criticized the Foreign Ministry saying some of the Foreign Ministry officials do not know about Hossain Ali properly.
Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque, Secretary (Bilateral, Training and Consular) Mustafa Kamal, Director Generals (DGs) and relatives of Hossain Ali were also present.
