Shun path of destruction

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday renewed her call on BNP-Jamaat to shun destructive acts, asserting that the Bangalee nation would never concede defeat to terrorists.

“We are continuing our efforts so that peace is restored in the country and there is no recurrence of bombings, burning people and such subversive acts.

“I am again urging the BNP-Jamaat to refrain from such kind of subversive acts,” she said while addressing the inauguration of Ekushey Book Fair-2015 and International Literary Conference-2015 on the Bangla Academy premises.

People from all strata would have to stand against such heinous acts, she said, adding that if anyone made a wrong decision in politics, he or she would have to pay a political price for that but why the innocent people would have to suffer for his or her mistake?

“This (hurling petrol bombs) could never be a movement, rather it is a terrorist and militant act, and we want such terrorist and militant act be stamped out from the country forever,” she said.

Regarding the deferment of SSC exams, Hasina said her government did not want to push the examinees to risk since the perpetrators and miscreants do not bother about the lives of children.

At the function, the PM distributed Bangla Academy Literary Award-2014 among seven eminent poets, writers and educationists for their contributions to various disciplines.

Shihab Sarkar received the award in poetry while Zakir Talukdar in prose, Shantanu Kaiser in essay and Bhuiyan Iqbal in research.

Among others, Abu Mohammad Delwar Hossain got the award for his work on Liberation War, Bangladeshi expatriate writer Mainus Sultan in the biography and travelogue category and Khaleque Bin Zainuddin for juvenile literature.

A total of 48 poets, writers, linguistics and litterateurs from 11 foreign countries, including the US, France, Germany, Belgium, Sweden, Malaysia and India alongside the host Bangladesh are joining this year's International Literary Conference.

With Emeritus Prof Dr Anisuzzaman in the chair, the function was addressed, among others, by Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor, German Litterateur Dr Hans Hurder and former VC of Rabindra Bharati University Dr Pabitra Sarker.