‘Vote anti-liberation forces out’

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday expressed her belief that the people would reject forever the anti-liberation forces, their patrons, perpetrators of brutal arson attacks and the corrupt elements in votes. "They will never be able to come to power. . . the people will not allow their installation to power," she said while chairing an Awami League discussion marking the Martyred Intellectuals' Day and Victory Day 2017 at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre. "The Victory Day celebrations drew huge enthusiast response of people particularly the youths this year as the history is now open before them," she said, adding that massive response from the youths "made us [politicians] hopeful about our prosperous future (as) none could now misguide them." She said 1971 martyrs' sacrifices would never go in vein and none could play with people’s fate as everyone started getting the benefit of independence and aware about their future while Bangladesh now appeared as a dignified nation all over the world. Awami League advisory council members Amir Hossain Amu and Tofail Ahmed, presidium members Matia Chowdhury and Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, journalist and martyred intellectual Sirajuddin Hossain's son Zahid Reza Noor and Awami League's Liberation War affairs secretary Mrinal Kanti Das also spoke on the occasion. Publicity Secretary of the party Hasan Mahmud and Deputy Publicity Secretary Aminul Islam conducted the discussion. Sheikh Hasina said BNP and some other political organizations rehabilitated the anti-liberation forces after Bangabandhu's killing and even in recent years they inducted convicted war criminals sons and daughters of in their parties. "The war criminals of Second World War [World War II] are still being tried on charge of committing crimes against humanity . . . don't they (BNP) have any sense or conscience," she asked. Sheikh Hasina said anyone having faith on the Liberation War spirit can never give indulgence to the anti-liberation forces and simultaneously patrons of the 1971 genocide perpetrators and supporters of Bangabandhu assassins can never be treated as pro-liberation forces. "Awami League builds the country while BNP destroys . . . they pushed the country towards a complete state devastation to protect the war criminals and left to stone unturned to destroy the country's economy alongside burning people to death," she said. The premier accused BNP chief Khaleda Zia of instigating the mayhem while her son, "who was convicted for corruption and siphoned crore of wealth outside the country, was its planner". "They looted Tk950 crore from the banks of Bangladesh. And yet they dream again to do politics and return to power," the prime minister said. Sheikh Hasina urged the people not to vote for them ever if they want socioeconomic development of the country. "People will not nourish the war criminals and make them ministers again," she said.