Bangladesh cannot be turned into terror state

Renewing her allegation that Khaleda Zia wants to tarnish the country's image by killing foreigners, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said people won't allow conspirators to make the country a terrorist state.

"Staying abroad, she [Khaleda] wants to taint the country's image by killing foreigners in Bangladesh in a planned way. They want to turn Bangladesh into a terrorist country by unleashing terrorist and militant acts and creating Bangla Bhai like they did in the past," she told a public rally at Altafunnesa Playground in Bogra town in the afternoon.

People, she said, won't let the country become a terrorist state as they don't believe in terrorism. She urged people to stay alert against the conspirators.

Mentionable, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has been in London for about two months. She left Dhaka for the UK on September 15 for treatment and celebrating the Eid-ul-Azha with her family members.

Referring to BNP's boycott of the last general election, Hasina, also the Awami League chief, said if a politician makes a mistake in making a political decision, his party men would definitely have to suffer.

Khaleda Zia had to come out of her Gulshan office, surrender before a court and return home after she failed to oust the government by enforcing hartals and blockades for long 93 days early this year, added the PM.

The premier said the people of North Bengal have forgotten the word Monga (seasonal poverty) in the last seven years as her government has ensured food security through boosting crop production.

She pledged to set up a university in Bogra to flourish higher education and asked the youth to pay attention to their studies and stay away from drugs and terrorism.

She also vowed to establish an economic zone in the district to further spur industrialisation, set up rail link from Sirajganj to Bogra and continue dredging of the mighty Jamuna.

Hasina declared that a burn unit will be set up at Bogra hospital.

Earlier, she inaugurated 19 projects and laid the foundation stones of 15 others through unveiling plaques from the meeting venue.

Health Minister Mohammad Nasim, State Minister for Public Administration Ismat Ara Sadique, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam, and former Rajshahi mayor AHM Khairuzzaman Liton addressed the rally, among others.