UNB, Dhaka :
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged the expatriate Bangladeshis living in Italy to put in their all-out efforts in brightening Bangladesh’s image and dignity before the world community.
She also called upon them to contribute more towards strengthening the Bangladesh economy upholding the spirit of the country’s Liberation War and the principles of independence.
The Prime Minister made the call while addressing a civic reception accorded to her by expatriate Bangladeshis living in Italy on Friday evening. The Italy unit of Awami League organised the programme at hotel Milanofirori in Milan, according to a message received here.
Hasina said, expatriate Bangladeshis have been contributing a lot in many ways to the development and welfare of the country, and said the remittances they send are keeping the wheel of economy moving.
Recalling their role in various struggles and democratic movements as well as achieving independence, she said their immense contributions have helped establish the rights of the people of Bangladesh.
The Prime Minister said, the moment Bangladesh fell in any disastrous situation, the expatriate Bangladeshis played a very strong role in restoring the country’s democratic process.
In this connection, Hasina also mentioned their role in mobilising public opinion abroad protesting the assassination of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on August 15, 1975 and the move of the military-backed caretaker government that had created obstacles to her return to Bangladesh.
The Prime Minister in her speech sharply criticised the previous BNP-Jamaat government for its involvement in unbridled corruption, money laundering, terrorism and militancy as well as creation of ‘Bangla Bhai’ and mentioned that BNP-Jamaat took the country towards destruction whenever they had come to power.
Many popular Awami League leaders, including Shah AMS Kibria, Ahsan Ullah Master and Ivy Rahman, were killed in grenade attacks due to their greed for power, she said.
Referring to BNP-Jamat’s destructive activities to foil the January-5 election, the Prime Minister said they had killed people, including police, members of BGB and the Army, uprooted railway fishplates, set fire to buses and trains, burned the holy Quran and mosque creating anarchy in the country.
Hasina said the defeated forces had turned the dignified nation into a nation of killers by rewarding the assassins of the Father of the Nation in many ways and rehabilitated them in politics.
In this regard, she mentioned that military dictator Zia and subsequently Ershad and Khaleda Zia made the killers MPs, Leader of Opposition in Jatiya Sangshad as well as gave them postings in foreign missions.
Hasina said, her government has made the nation free from a big stigma through executing the killers of Bangabandhu while verdicts of the war crime tribunals are being implemented.
The Awami League President also described her government’s unprecedented successes during the last five years and eight months saying it set a vision for establishing the country as a middle-income one by 2021.
The Prime Minister mentioned that her government has been able to settle the longstanding disputes over maritime boundary with India and Myanmar peacefully creating huge opportunities of extracting sea resources which could contribute to the country’s economic development.
Hasina also described various measures implemented by her government for the development of education, healthcare, power and energy, communication, agriculture, social safety and ICT sectors.
She expressed the hope that Bangladesh would be a middle-income country by 2021 and a developed one by 2041 with the coordinated efforts of all, including expatriate Bangladeshis.
Held with Awami League Italy unit president Idris Faraezi in the chair, the function was also addressed by All European Awami League president Anil Das Gupta, general secretary MA Gani, UK Awami League president Sultan Sharif an d Italy Awami League leaders, including Abdul Mannan, Mujibur Rahman, Akram Hossain, Shahdat Hossain, Jahangir Alam, and Jasimuddin.
Foreign Minister AH Mahmod Ali, Prime Minister’s Special Assistant Dr Abdus Sobhan Golap were present.
Huge expatriate Bangladeshis, including Awami League leaders and workers from different parts of Italy and European countries like Spain, the UK, France, Sweden and the USA attended the reception.
