Ruling Awami League has pledged to drive the country’s economy towards 10 per cent growth within the next five years if voted to power.

Party’s President Sheikh Hasina has pledged to transform Bangladesh into a middle-income country by 2021, and developed country by 2041.

She pledged, Bangladesh’s poverty rate would be pulled down to zero by 2041.

She was optimistic, Bangladesh’s per capita income would growth beyond US $5,479 by 2030 in indication of strong economic development.

Hasina was unveiling her party’s manifesto, which she said was focused on the progress of development in Bangladesh, at a hotel in Dhaka city.

Every citizen under one-year-old and above 65-year-old, will get free medical care if Awami League is voted to power, the party said in its manifesto.

Medical universities will be established in every divisional headquarters and the community clinics will gradually be modernised, it said.

AL President Sheikh Hasina, also prime minister of Bangladesh, placed her party’s election manifesto at a city hotel today

Prime minister and president of Awami League, Sheikh Hasina has pledged to strengthen the parliament further in her party’s manifesto.

“In the last 10 years, our parliament was the centre of democracy. We will continue to bolster the process of institutionalising democracy,” she said.

Additionally, she pledged to continue efforts to strengthen rights commission, Anti-Corruption Commission, media, and the judiciary.

She was unveiling her party’s manifesto, which she said was focused on the progress of development in Bangladesh, at a hotel in Dhaka city.

Four university students remain missing since they were allegedly picked up by plainclothes men in the capital's Farmgate area on Saturday, the day before national election.

Their families yesterday held a press conference at Crime Reporters' Association Bangladesh, demanding safe return of the youths.

The missing are: Abu Khaled Mohammad Jabed, 25, a third year student of Bangla at Asian University; Borhan Uddin, 26, English student at Stamford University; Rezaul Khalek, 24, final year student of Pharmacy at Manarat University; and Syed Maminul Hasan, 27, former student of a Unani Ayurvedic Medical College.

“We are very anxious about their fate, as we have been out of contact with them for two days,” said Jabed's brother-in-law Yeasin Karim at the press conference.

He urged law enforcers to rescue the youths or to produce them before the court if they were detained for any crime.

Some plainclothes men identifying themselves as law enforcers dragged them out of a bus in Farmgate on their way home in Mirpur-1 after shopping at Aziz Super Market, Yeasin said quoting a friend of theirs who was also in the bus but escaped detention.

“We contacted local police stations and other wings of law enforcement agencies but all denied picking Jabed up,” he said.

The families drew attention of national and international human rights organisations to be vocal for their release.

Contacted, Abdul Baten, additional commissioner (detectives) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police said they did not detain the youths.

Mufti Mahmud Khan, Rab's Legal and Media wing director also said they did not carry out any drive in Farmgate on that day.

Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader today said BNP has failed to plunge the December 30 national election into controversy even after knocking at the doors of its foreign friends.

“They (BNP) wrote letters to different countries to make the election questionable but their motive has gone in vain,” Quader, also the minister for Road Transport and Bridges, told reporters after visiting construction site of the second Kanchpur Bridge on Dhaka-Chattogram and Dhaka-Sylhet highways in Narayanganj’s Sonargaon upazila.

BNP also completely failed to ensure momentum of their anti-government movement as people did not take to the streets by responding their call, the Awami League leader said.

Replying to a query about BNP’s decision to refrain from participating in the upcoming upazila elections, the minister said no political parity can sustain without taking part in election.

He said the heads of different countries including UK and Switzerland welcomed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina following the formation of government under her leadership for the fourth time.

Claiming that people would not throng the streets responding to the BNP’s call, Quader said BNP is engaged in negative politics and thus it will lose its foreign friends as well as the trust of the countrymen.