No revenge

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia last night said if voted to power, her party will not seek revenge for her “sufferings during the emergency rule”.
She also said they are ready to accept people's verdict in the general election.
“Propaganda is on that if we form government, members of the armed forces might be subjected to reprisals for their 'special role' during the state of emergency. I want to say unequivocally that we don't believe in taking revenge.”
In a pre-election address to the nation broadcast over Bangladesh Television and Betar, the former prime minister also said she considers the defence personnel to be an extension of her family.
Urging all to vote the BNP-led four-party alliance to ensure “continuity of parliamentary democracy”, Khaleda said, “We will respond to our sufferings by making the armed forces even stronger and more professional and pro-people.”
She observed this election will decide whether the country will march ahead with its dignity and sovereignty, or resign itself to following dictates from abroad.
Stressing the need for national unity, she said her party will place a bill in parliament to discourage violent street agitation.
She pledged to upgrade the status of the leader of the opposition by amending the warrant of precedence. “The opposition leader's position will be only a notch lower than the prime minister's and ahead of the other ministers.”
The BNP chief said if elected, curbing prices of essentials would be her government's number one priority.
“We are really sorry for the mistakes we made, and hope you will excuse those,” she said.
Criticising her political opponents for coming up with “unrealistic promises and baseless statistics”, Khaleda claimed that only her party's manifesto is implementable.