The Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, on Wednesday called for an investigation to find out if there was any link of BNP with militants, particularly with those who were killed in the city’s Kalyanpur raid.
‘Is there any secret link with them (militants)? We have to investigate if they (BNP) are involved with any conspiracy,’ Hasina said in her closing speech for the budget session in parliament.
Earlier in the day, the prime minister said the people of the country, through statements of the leaders of BNP over the Kalyanpur action of police, might feel that BNP was a patron of militants and terrorists.
‘The people of the country might think that they (BNP) are the patrons of militants and terrorists; they are somehow patronising this and encouraging this,’ she told the Parliament.
Responding to a query, the prime minister told the House that those who are encouraging the terrorists and militants will have to face legal action. ‘Surely we will take legal action against them,’ she said.
Nine suspected Islamist extremists were killed and an injured suspect was arrested in what police named ‘Operation Storm-26’ at a house at Kalyanpur in Dhaka early Tuesday.
BNP standing committee member ASM Hannan Shah on Tuesday doubted whether those killed in ‘Operation Storm 26’ were militants or innocent people.
Pointing at the BNP leader’s statement, the prime minister said that statements after the incident naturally made it clear that they are giving conditions.
‘Do this or otherwise terrorism will not stop, militancy will not be stop; that means after accepting their conditions they will stop these,’ she said.
The Leader of House said their words proved this and it was regretful.
She again urged the people of the country to be aware about militancy and that it will be faced through united efforts. ‘That unity has been formed now,’ she said.
Replying to another query, the premier urged the people of the country to raise their voice against militancy saying militancy and terrorism will never be established in Bangladesh.
She also said the anti-liberation force’s conspiracy that began since the independence of the country was yet to stop.
Hasina said Jamaat got an opportunity to be established financially and institutionally when the BNP-led four-party alliance was in power.
They also dominated the print and electronic media too and whenever they got a chance, they engaged in anti-government activities.
Militancy rose in the country during the four-party alliance government and they started to turn the country into a militant and dysfunctional state, she said.
Jatiya Party lawmaker Rawshan Ershad in her closing speech called for national unity irrespective of political affiliation and views, to curb militancy and terrorism.
‘If we work together then militancy will not rise. I think we will be able to curb militancy working together,’ she said.
Referring to the recent attacks, Rawshan urged the parents to give more time to their kids and behave with their kids like friends.
The Jatiya Party senior leader alleged that a culture of impunity has put the country’s national security under threat.
She urged the prime minister to take initiatives to resolve all the problems as she believed it was possible under the leadership of the premier to forge national unity.
Source: New Age
