PM ‘doing politics’ over Rohingya issue: BNP

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UNB, Dhaka :
BNP on Saturday alleged that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is ‘doing politics’ over the Rohingya issue turning down their party’s call for forging a national unity to face the crisis.
“The Prime Minister described the country’s most popular party, BNP, as a terrorist and militant one. Such comment from her is very unfortunate. We don’t have suitable words to condemn it,” said BNP standing committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain. Speaking at a roundtable discussion, he further said, “She (PM) is trying to do party politics
rejecting the call for creating a unity on a national issue like Rohingya one. We think the people of Bangladesh won’t support such an attitude.” Terming BNP a democratic party, Mosharraf said the country’s people had given the party their mandate five times to govern the country.
Bangladesh Institute of Politics Studies arranged the programme at the Jatiya Press Club.
At a press conference at the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh to the UN on Friday, the Prime Minister alleged that BNP is a ‘terrorist’ and ‘militant’ party which created Bangla Bhai, former leader of militant outfit Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), and its leader Ziaur Rahman killed her father along with the whole family and blocked the path to justice. Saying that there is no need to sit with the BNP to forge a national consensus on the Rohingya issue, she said a consensus had already been built across the world. “Please don’t tell me to sit with the BNP anymore.
This is not acceptable to me at all.” Reacting to the PM’s comments, Mosharraf said Hasina is trying to divide the nation through her ‘indecent’ remarks about BNP only to go to power again by force through holding a January-5, 2014 like another lopsided election.
He alleged that the government has miserably failed to tackle the Rohingya problem diplomatically.
The BNP leader said though the government claims to have strong diplomatic ties with both India and China, the two countries are now supporting Myanmar instead of standing by Bangladesh to face the huge challenge of Rohingya refugees.
He said, had the government been vocal against the genocide by Myanmar at the initial stage, the country would not have to bear the burden of so many Rohingya refugees. “The government’s foreign policy has failed to deal with the problem.” Mentioning that Rohingya refugees are a serious problem for the nation, the BNP leader said the people of Bangladesh want the government to force Myanmar to take back its citizens through its strong diplomatic efforts. “We’re seriously worried as the government is failing to do so.”
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