Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina asked the opposition BNP to sue The Washington Times, as it is claiming that the US daily published an article by forging the signature of BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia.
“Why don’t you [BNP] sue The Washington Times if the signature is really fake?” she said while addressing a meeting of expatriate Bangladeshis living in Britain and other European countries at Hilton Hotel, London on Friday evening (local time).
Sheikh Hasina had come down heavily on the opposition leader for writing the article in The Washington Times for asking the US government to cancel the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) facility for Bangladeshi products on the US market.
Hasina alleged that Khaleda tarnished Bangladesh’s image by asking the US government to impose economic sanctions on Bangladesh, reported UNB.
Hasina said the BNP chairperson and its leaders are now disowning the article following the suspension of the GSP facility in order to escape blame.
She said front-ranking BNP leaders are claiming the write-up was published using a faked signature of Khaleda. “But initially, senior BNP leaders made comments in favour of the article, projecting its justification, though they are denying it,” Hasina said.
The Prime Minister questioned how The Washington Times would have had the audacity to publish an article in Khaleda's name if she had not written it. Hasina said The Washington Times recently made it clear that it was Khaleda Zia who wrote that article.
“This has proved how a big liar the BNP is,” Hasina said, according to the UNB report.
She urged expatriate Bangladeshis to contact the London-based Public Relation firm BTP, which pursued the Washington Times to publish Khaleda’s article, to confirm this.
Alleging militancy, terrorism and corruption by the BNP-Jamaat parties during its rule, Hasina said the country’s image would be tarnished again if they returned to power.
She claimed the present government had revived the country’s image after assuming office by containing terrorism and militancy with an iron hand, and implementing development programmes.
In addition, she claimed the government ensured food and social security of people, as well as minimised public suffering to a great extent by generating more electricity. “No government other than Awami League could carry out such developments in the past.”
The Prime Minister asked the expatriate Bangladeshis to project the successes of the government in various fields ahead of the next general election.
Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni, president of UK Awami League Sultan Mahmud Sharif, president of all European Awami League Anil Das Gupta, president of UK Awami League Advisory Committee Shamsuddin Khan and general secretary of UK Awami League Shamsuddin Khan were present.
