Voicing her apprehension about more heinous incidents like in Fatikchhari, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday asked the ruling party activists and people to remain alert so that the BNP-led opposition cannot commit any such barbaric acts in the future.
“The recent attack on the Awami League activists in Fatikchari was just like the Pakistani occupation army in 1971,” she said at a views -exchange meeting with the party’s grassroots-level leaders from Patuakhali district at her official residence Ganobhaban.
“They had attacked a peaceful procession, beaten up the Awami League activists barbarically… it reminds us of the torture unleashed by the Pakistani occupation army in 1971,” the PM said.
She said the opposition had used the microphones of mosques generally meant for calling the Muslims to offer their prayers. “The miscreants used the mike to misinform and instigate the innocent villagers.”
Three people were killed and about 120 others, including cops, injured in the clash involving the activists of Awami League and Jamaat-Shibir-Hefajat and villagers at Kazirhat in Fatikchhari upazila on April 11. Over 100 motorcycles, four mini trucks, three private cars, a vehicle of Fire Service and a microbus were also torched during the clash.
Hasina, also the president of Awami League, said that everybody will have to be vigilant so that no one could use the mikes of mosques in future for any other purposes.
She asked the party men to communicate with all mosques and madrasahs across the country and also make the villagers aware so that no one could mislead them by using the mosques’ mikes and play with the lives of the people.
“You’ve to do this to ensure that the miscreants will not be able to recreate any more incidents like Fatikchari and also not misuse the madrasah students,” she said.
In this regard, the Prime Minister also asked the Awami League activists to remain united. “If we remain united no one will be able to defeat us,” she said.
Hasina said: “The BNP-Jamaat evil force is very much active to foil the trial of the war criminals. They can destroy only, they don’t know how to build anything.”
She further said: “The BNP-Jamaat do not believe in the independence and sovereignty of the country. They are the accomplices of the defeated forces. They want to bring the defeated force to power again.”
The Prime Minister warned the opposition leader that she will not be able to save the war criminals by killing people or whatever else she wants to do.
“Let me tell you,” she said, “we started the trial; it will be completed and the country will be freed from the stigma.”
Hasina accused the BNP-Jamaat of demolishing a power station at Kansat in the name of their movement.
Taking a swipe at the opposition party, she said: “They are now engaged in demolishing the country’s wealth including the railway. “And for what they are doing this? It is to save the war criminals.”
Mentioning that the present government wants to ensure the voting rights of the people, the Prime Minister said some 5,554 elections of various types have been conducted under the present government in free, fair and neutral manner.
“Each and every election had been conducted fairly and the people cast their votes in favor of their chosen candidate without any problem.”
She said: “The Awami League believes in democracy and respects the opinion of the people.”
Source: UNB Connect
