Stay united for country's development

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday called upon all to remain united to expedite the development of the country.

“We'll build… a hunger- and poverty-free Bangladesh as dreamt by the Father of the Nation...this is our vow today. I urge the people to stay united to expedite the development activities…," she said.

The premier was addressing a discussion organised by Bangladesh Awami League at Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC), marking Bangabandhu's Homecoming Day.

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman returned to independent Bangladesh following his release from Pakistani jail in 1972.

Hasina said it is the prime task of the government to improve the lifestyle of the people.

“The Father of the Nation is no more with us, but his ideals are... We're are trying to materialise and fulfill the vision he had spelt out in his speech on January 10, 1972 after returning home, and the plans he laid out to run the country,” she said.

Criticising those who always say Ziaur Rahman introduced multiparty democracy in the country, Hasina said Ziaur Rahman did a mockery in the name of democracy.

“He [Zia] had tried to confuse the nation. Accepting that, some people appreciated him, but they never think anything deeply for a moment,” she said.

Hasina, also the chief of Awami League, said Zia, in the name of multiparty democracy, had rehabilitated war criminals. He had given the anti-independence force a chance to do politics and returned the voting rights to war criminals. “This is not the democracy of people...this was just renaming rehabilitation of war criminals.”

Describing the significance of the day, Hasina said the people of the country on this day got back their leader. “Yahiya Khan hatched all the conspiracies to hang him but was forced to set him free.”

On his return home, Hasina said, Bangabandhu revealed his vision to build Bangladesh as per his dream and devoted himself to rebuilding the war-ravaged country.

Under Bangabandhu's leadership, she said, Bangladesh for the first time achieved a 7.5 percent growth rate and the people of the country started dreaming of a bright future.

“But the anti-liberation forces did not allow this to happen.”

Hasina said the anti-liberation forces grabbed state power after killing Bangabandhu, who had initiated the trial of many war criminals. But Ziaur Rahman freed them after taking over power, she said. 

AL advisory council members Amir Hossain Amu and Tofail Ahmed; presidium members Matia Chowdhury, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim and Eng Mosharraf Hossain; general secretary Obaidul Quader; eminent historian Prof Muntasir Mamun; AL central working committee members Marufa Akhtar Poppy and Remon Areng MP, and general secretary of AL Dhaka North Sadek Khan also spoke.

The event was conducted by party publicity secretary Dr Hasan Mahmud.