Make Bangladesh home for people of all faiths: Hasina

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday urged all to continue their support to make Bangladesh a livable land where people of every religion would enjoy their religious freedom and rights.
She said everybody should be careful so that the existing atmosphere of enjoying religious rights by the people of every religion exists in the future and none can create anarchy like the one in 2001.
Hasina said this when a delegation of Bangladesh Christian Association called on her at her Gano Bhaban residence in the evening on Christmas Eve.
Expressing her firm commitment to uphold the rights of people of every religion, she said, “We believe that all of us are the sons of the soil and we have earned freedom with immense sacrifice by the people of all religions.”
In the past, competent public servants from minority communities were deprived of promotion. But her government gave utmost importance to competent civil servants by providing promotions and appointments in public services, she said.
The government is also looking into areas where the minority communities are less represented, she said, adding that the government has been taking every effort for the welfare of all religious communities.
Greeting the community members on Christmas Eve, she said, “December is a very glorious month for us. It is when we earned our independence and Lord Jesus was born.”
The delegation greeted the prime minister with a bouquet of flowers and Christmas card. Hasina cut a Christmas cake and inaugurated the Christmas programmes.
State Minister for Religious Affairs Advocate M Shahjahan Mia, the association President and State Minister for Cultural Affairs Advocate Promode Mankin, Bishop Linus Nirmal Gomez and the association Secretary General Nirmal Rozario spoke on the occasion.
The association leaders expressed their firm resolve to cooperate with the present government in its efforts to build a secular Bangladesh and extend their full support to the government for the trial of war criminals.
On the occasion, a Christmas tree was decorated at Gano Bhaban. The prime minister entertained the delegation members with cakes and sweetmeats.