Next polls through democratic means
PM tells British lawmakers
Secretary General of the Commonwealth Kamalesh Sharma calls on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in London yesterday. Photo: PMO
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday asserted that the next election would be held as per the parliamentary democratic system as in other countries of the world and Awami League would not accept anything harmful for democracy. “We won't accept anything that might interrupt the hard-earned democracy of the country,” PM's Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad quoted Hasina as saying when a five-member team of All Party British Parliamentary Group for Bangladesh met her at her hotel suite. Sheikh Hasina told the delegation that she had fought for democracy. The delegation comprised members of the British House of Commons Lord Ahmed Sheikh, Baroness Tonge, Rt Keith Vaz, Jim Fizpatrick and Rushanara Ali. The British parliamentary group discussed with Hasina the issue of democratic progress in Bangladesh. The prime minister laid emphasis on parliamentary system and free and fair electoral process for sustainable democracy. About the continuous parliament boycott by the opposition members, she said their abstention was totally illogical. “The Leader of the Opposition was present only eight days in the ninth parliament in the last three and a half years." Earlier, Lord Ahmed of Wimbledon met the prime minister at her hotel suite and expressed his keen interest to invest in Bangladesh. He also praised the role of Sheikh Hasina in the global forum to address climate change issue. NO RETREAT FROM PADMA PROJECTPrime Minister Sheikh Hasina has made it clear that the government did not step back from its move to construct the much talked-about Padma bridge with its own funds, says another UNB report from London. The prime minister exerted her position while replying to questions from reporters of local Bangla media during an Iftar party at St Pancras Renaissance hotel on Wednesday evening. “Surely, the bridge will be constructed with our own funds, and we stick to our position. We're not begging of anyone, we're taking loan and we'll have to pay interest for that.” She added that the decision lay with the World Bank if they would fund the project. “It'll be their own consideration whether they'll come up or not…we'll construct the bridge, we've our own preparations.” KAMALESH SHARMA MEETS HASINA
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday urged the Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma to emphasise migration and development issues and include those in the commonwealth's strategic plan, reports BSS from London. "Bangladesh wants to see progress on the issue of migration and development placed in the agenda of the last Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting," she told Sharma when he called on her at the hotel suite. Hasina arrived on a five-day visit to the UK Wednesday.
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