Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged BNP chief Khaleda Zia to stop carrying out monstrous acts in the name of politics, adding that the government does not want to see any more people including pregnant women and children being burnt to death.
Calling for creating a developed and prosperous Bangladesh, Hasina also vowed of building a better and safer future for the country’s children.
The prime minister made the remarks at a children’s gathering in Tungipara of Gopalganj yesterday, organised to mark the birth anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and to observe the National Children’s Day.
Blaming the BNP chairperson for barring children from going to schools, Hasina slammed the BNP-led alliance for not even sparing children from their crude bomb and arson attacks. The premier also claimed that the BNP had earlier torched 582 schools in their attempts to foil the national elections last year.
Urging all to join an effort to build a safe and peaceful country for the future generations, the prime minister expressed hopes that it would be the children who would one day strengthen the position of Bangladesh in the world.
Addressing the children at the programme, Hasina, the daughter of Bangabandhu, said the faces of the Tungipara children reminded her of her younger brother Sheikh Russel – who was killed by assassins in 1975 at the age of only 10.
Hasina said her government was working to make sure that no children suffered from hunger or were denied a chance at literacy.
Pointing out that Bangabandhu had enacted an act for the welfare of children in 1974 and made primary education free for all, Hasina said the Awami League government – under her leadership – had also formulated a policy for children in 2011 to stop physical and psychological abuse and discrimination of children.
The prime minister said the government was providing financial assistance to street children, kids involved in risky jobs, and the school dropouts, as well as working for the welfare of autistic and mentally challenged children. The youngsters locked in correctional facilities were also being rehabilitated.
The prime minister’s welfare fund was being used to create a trust fund that would financially assist the poor children’s parents, Hasina told the programme. Stipends would also be introduced in the primary- and degree-levels, she added.
Following the event, Hasina also distributed awards and certificates among the winners of separate competitions on cultural skills, drawing and handwriting. Hasina also inaugurated a day-long book fair at Bangabandhu’s mausoleum complex in Tungipara.
Earlier in the day, President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid rich tributes to Bangabandhu by placing wreaths at his mausoleum.
After placing the wreaths, they stood in solemn silence for some time as a mark of respect to the memory of Sheikh Mujib. A smartly turned out armed forces contingent gave a guard of honour on the occasion.
Hamid and Hasina also prayed for the departed soul of Bangabandhu as well as other martyrs of the August 15 carnage.
Later in the afternoon, hundreds of people paid their respects at Bangabandhu’s mausoleum after it was opened to the public.
Homage at Dhanmondi
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also paid respects to her father by placing wreaths at the portrait of Sheikh Mujib in front of Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at the capital’s Dhanmondi.
After laying the wreaths, the prime minister also stood in solemn silence for some time as a mark of respect to the memory of Bangabandhu.
Cabinet members, advisers to the premier and parliament members were present on the occasion.
Later, flanked by her party’s central leaders, Sheikh Hasina, also the president of the Awami League, placed another wreath at the portrait on behalf of her party.
‘Efforts still on to extradite Bangabandhu’s killers’
Awami League Joint General Secretary Mahbub-ul Alam Hanif yesterday said the US and Canada governments would help in extraditing the killers of Bangabandhu.
“The government has kept it efforts on to bring back the self-proclaimed killers of Bangabandhu from America and Canada, and we believe both the countries would help Bangladesh to return them,” he told reporters after placing wreaths at the portrait of Bangabandhu in Dhanmondi.
Meanwhile, Amra Muktijoddhar Sontan, a platform of Freedom Fighters’ children, raised a demand for bringing the absconding killers back to the country and making them face justice.