Public Administration Minister Syed Ashraful Islam has urged the people of the country to get united under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to build a peaceful and non-communal Bangladesh.
The Awami League general secretary made the call while addressing a party discussion held at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the capital on Saturday.
Arranged by the ruling party's Publicity and Publication Cell, the event was chaired by HT Imam, party chairman and the prime minister's political adviser, and was addressed by Awami League presidium member and Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhurya and Publicity and Publication Secretary Hasan Mahmud, among others.
The discussion began with the screening of a documentary on the arson attacks launched by the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami centering the 10th general elections in 2014.
“The Awami League-led government has already taken initiatives under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina against the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami-led terrorists and communal groups. The BNP-Jamaat alliance has always tried to create anarchy by abusing the Islamic sentiment of the people with the cooperation of their foreign masters, but they failed,” Ashraf said.
He also urged the citizens to cooperate and help to strengthen Hasina's progressive leadership against terrorism, militancy and communalism spread by national and international conspirators.
“Our government will always maintain zero tolerance against terrorist and criminal groups, so the Awami League government will be successful in the war against BNP-Jamaat militant groups,” he added.
In reply to a journalist's query, Ashraf said he was not invited to BNP's sixth national council, even though the party earlier said they would send invitation to Ashraf as well as Prime Minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina.
Addressing the discussion, Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury asked what the BNP was going to achieve from the misleading leadership of party chief Khaleda Zia and her son Tarique Rahman.
“If a doctor makes a mistake, his patient may die. But if a political leader makes a mistake, thousands of people may pay the price. Khaleda Zia and her son made a great mistake for not joining the January 5 polls, for which their party men are now paying the price,” she said.
HT Imam alleged that BNP Senior Vice Chairman Tarique Rahman visited Pakistan from the UK several times to hatch conspiracies against Bangladesh.
Hasan Mahmud said the Bangladesh Bank heist is a cyber crime, so the authorities concerned and the government are not at fault.
