People’s court to try Khaleda, says Hasina

The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, said on Tuesday that the people of the country would hold trial of Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia and her aides in people’s court for ‘killing people in arsons’ and ‘patronising war criminals’.
‘The BNP chief tried to foil elections in 2014, killed people in arsons in the name of anti-government movement in 2015 and patronised war criminal while they were in power,’ Hasina, also the ruling Awami League president, said at a rally at Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka.
Calling on the people to build resistance against extremism and violence, she said that there would be no room for extremism and violence in the country.
The Awami League organised the rally marking the ‘homecoming day’ of country’s founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Mujib, the then undisputed leader of the nation returned to the sacred soil of independent Bangladesh via London and New Delhi on January 10 in 1972 after his release from solitary confinement for nine months and a half in a Pakistan prison during the country’s War for Independence.
Hasina bashed the BNP and Khaleda for speaking on democratic practice.
‘The term “democracy” does not go with them who have killed people in the name of movement and the people do not want to accept lessons on politics and democracy from those who have embezzled money of trusts meant for orphans,’ she said.
The prime minister alleged that Khaleda was skipping appearances before the court for the trial of the graft cases relating the trusts. ‘It indicates that she has feelings of guilt.’ 
She alleged that BNP and Khaleda suffered from great afflictions whenever people were in peace.
Reminding people of the movements of BNP and Jamaat, Hasina said that they started killing people in the name of movement to foil the national polls in 2014, carried out mayhem putting 582 schools on fire and killing presiding officers but failed.
‘231 people were killed in arsons while several thousand were injured, 29 trains and 9 ferries were set on fire, 23 law enforcers were killed and several hundred copies of holy Quran were burnt in 2015,’ she said.
Islam is the religion of peace, she said, adding, ‘People of every religion will perform their religions in peace.’
The AL president said that BNP and Jamaat pushed the country backward by inducting into the cabinet those who were later executed for war crimes.
‘BNP did nothing but patronising the acts of militancy…How would they develop the country remaining busy in looting,’ she said, adding that her government provided the people electricity while BNP gave the people pillars only.
Listing various development activities, the prime minister said that her government would ensure accommodation for each of the homeless people and she would continue to work for the betterment of the people until death.
She said that the country had capacity for the generation of 15,000mw electricity at present while her government also ensured the country’s food security, reduced poverty, increased economic growth and raised the country’s status in international arena.
She said that her government handed over some 36.22 lakh copies of textbooks to students free of cost.
Reminiscing about Sheikh Mujib, Hasina, also his daughter, said that if Mujib were alive, the country would have been a developed country 25-30 years ago.
She alleged that such development works were stalled after the assassination of Mujib in 1975.
The rally began at about 2:30pm with participation of tens of thousands of supporters, activists and leaders from Dhaka city and its surrounding districts.
Hasina reached the venue at about 3:30pm. Flanked by senior party leaders, she waved at supporters after getting on the stage.
AL presidium member Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury called on the people to extend their supports to the AL-led government for continuation of the ongoing development.
AL advisory council member Amir Hossain Amu said that Mujib gave independence while the government led by Hasina was working to achieve economic emancipation.
Another advisory council member Tofail Ahmed said that the BNP patronised extremism.
AL presidium member Matia Chowdhury said that the people would resist anarchies in the name of movements.  
AL central leader Hasan Mahmud, Dhaka south city mayor Syeed Khokan, north city mayor Annisul Haque, among others, spoke at the rally.

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