SANGSAD BHABAN, Feb 27, 2018 (BSS)-Prime Minister and Leader of the House Sheikh Hasina today described the youth force as the biggest asset of the country and expressed her determination to build hunger and poverty-free Bangladesh by utilising this force.
“We’ve set a goal of establishing a middle income country by 2021 and a developed and prosperous Bangladesh by 2041. I believe that we could achieve the goal Insha Allah … I’ve confidence and trust in the countrymen in this regard,” she said.
The prime minister said this while participating in the discussion on thanksgiving motion on the President’s speech in parliament.
The Leader of the House said Bangladesh’s youth force is very energetic and they are the biggest asset of the country.
Highlighting her government’s impressive successes in every field, Sheikh Hasina said they’re doing politics for the welfare and development of the people.
The premier said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman liberated the country to establish a hunger and poverty free Sonar Bangla. “Following his ideology and footsteps, we’re doing politics for ensuring socioeconomic freedom for the countrymen,” she said.
While talking about the Rohingya crisis, the Leader of the House said Bangladesh has so far given shelter to 10,78, 966 forcibly displaced Myanmar citizens on the humanitarian grounds.
The prime minister said, Bangladesh has signed an agreement with Myanmar for repatriation of the Rohingya people. “Besides we’ve started work for their temporary shelter in an island named Bhashanchar … we’re doing this so that they could stay here better as long as they return to their homeland,” she said.
She said the international community highly praised Bangladesh’s steps for the rehabilitation of the Rohingya people. “We’re giving identity cards to them so that Myanmar government cannot deny that they are not their citizens,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina said, global community has extended their hands towards the Rohingya people. “Even the people of Bangladesh have stood beside them,” she said.
The prime minister said Bangladesh has given shelter and is extending assistance to the Rohingya people on the humanitarian grounds. “Our work is for humanity … they are human beings like our people. But the attitude that Myanmar showed to them is never acceptable,” she said.
The Leader of the House reiterated her call to the cross section of people including teachers, students, guardians, religious leaders to remain alert so that their children don’t get involved in militancy, terrorism and drug addiction.
“The country will have to be protected these social vices,” she said, adding that her government has been able to contain militancy with iron hands.
Sheikh Hasina said, Islam is a religion of peace and it never support terrorism and militancy.
The prime minister said the government had a commitment to holding trial of war criminals. “Insha Allah, we’ve kept our pledge by holding the 1971 criminals,” she said.
In this connection, she mentioned that those who claimed that they introduced multi party democracy in the country after 1975 in fact they gave scope to the war criminals to do politics and make them ministers.
“There did nothing except betraying with the blood of the martyrs,” she said.
“By the grace of the Almighty, we tried war criminals and executed the verdicts against them,” she said.
The killers of Bangabandhu were protected through promulgation of the indemnity ordinance. “We completed the trial of the killers and implemented the judgments … we’re trying to bring back other killers who are hatching conspiracy staying abroad,” she said.
The prime minister said her government has taken various initiatives for modernisation and making the armed forces time-befitting. “We’ve framed the forces goal-2030 in the light of the defence policy enacted by Bangabandhu,” she said.
“We want peace, we don’t want war with anyone. But we’re building our armed forces in such a way so that they have capability to thwart any attack on Bangladesh,” she said, elaborating her government’s steps for strengthening the army, navy and air force.
The prime minister mentioned the Land Boundary Agreement with India and solving maritime boundary dispute with Myanmar and India peacefully.
Spelling out her government’s steps for development of different sectors, Sheikh Hasina said poverty rate has declined to 22 percent from 45 percent in the last nine years due to various steps of the government.
“We’re moving ahead with a plan to bring down the rate to 14/15 percent,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina said the country’s first-ever Bangabandhu satellite will be launched into orbit in April this year. “With its launching, we will move in land, water and space simultaneously,” she said.
The premier urged the countrymen use every inch of the land properly to take forward the country further. “If everybody follows it, the country will never lag behind,” she said.
About the President’s speech, Sheikh Hasina said the president rightly pointed out Bangladesh’s successes and achievements in various fields. “He also highlighted the solution to various problems,” the PM said.
The Leader of the House congratulated Abdul Hamid on his reelection in the post of the president.