Return to JS, avoid 1/11 recurrence

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina urged Opposition Leader Khaleda Zia to return to parliament for the sake of democracy, reminding her the 1/11 political episode.
"Come to Parliament. Democracy cannot be let down again. Mind you (Khaleda), you and I, too, had to go to jail," she said.
Hasina, here to attend the UN General Assembly session, made the remark of high political significance while addressing an all-party reception organised by the US chapter of Awami League at Hotel Grand Hyatt on Sunday evening.
This was Hasina's first public appearance in New York after being elected prime minister.
Amidst the presence of several thousand Bangladeshi expatriates, the PM said the opposition party is not joining the parliament on the excuse of sitting arrangement though they have been given more seats than they deserve.
Hasina said while in the opposition, AL was given five seats in the front row in parliament though it had 64 members of parliament (MPs) in the House.
But the present opposition party has been given as many front seats despite its total number of MPs being 29.
"In fact, the opposition has not decided yet who will sit next to their party chief in the House," Hasina said.
"We all should show respect to people's verdict. Please come to parliament and make our democracy strong."
Hasina told the Bangladeshi expatriates that she and the opposition leader had taken iftar together when she also requested the opposition leader to join parliament.
The AL president said 1/11 took place following "endless" corruption and greed of BNP and its ally Jamaat during their rule.
"They had almost ruined the country through their reckless corruption and greed. They tried to stage another election of vote rigging with thousands of fake voters on the list," she said.
Hasina said BNP-Jamaat conspiracy to stage another farcical election came to broad daylight when some 1.23 core fake voters were identified by the last caretaker government.
The caretaker government with the help of Army successfully prepared a flawless voter list with which the people could cast their vote freely to elect their own democratic government at the December 29 parliamentary polls, she said.
Hasina boldly said her government wants to build up Bangladesh as a most peaceful nation of the South Asian region.
She asserted that her government would never allow the soil of Bangladesh to be used by militants or any other terrorists.
She sought help of the Bangladeshi expatriates in establishing "a peaceful and prosperous Bangladesh rooting out militancy and any other terrorism."
The reception programme was started with the observance of one-minute silence in memory of the martyrs for the 1971 liberation war and with recitation from holly Quran, Geeta, Bible and Tripitok.
State Minister for Forest and Environment Hasan Mahmud, USA Awami
League unit president Khaled Hossain, general secretary Sajjadur Rahman Sajjad, among others, addressed the function.
Hasina's son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, Foreign Minister Dipu Moni, PM's Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad, among others, were present at the function.