Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader on Sunday said the BNP and Pakistan's positions on the genocide of Bangalis in 1971 are the same.
Quader, also the road transport and bridges minister, was speaking to reporters after paying tribute to the Liberation War martyrs by placing a wreath at the National Martyrs' Memorial on the occasion of Bangladesh's 53rd Independence Day and National Day.
In response to BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir's assertion that the genocide was caused by the Awami League's mistake, Quader said: “It is natural that they (BNP) will say whatever Pakistan says because they are deeply influenced by Pakistani ideology and mindset.”
He said that the enemies of liberation challenge freedom in various guises, like communalism and militancy.
Hence, it is necessary to defeat this evil, he said.
“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the nation is moving towards becoming the Sonar Bangla as envisaged by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,” said Obaidul Quader.
“One of the commitments is to create a smart Bangladesh to achieve that dream,” he added.