PM for resisting conspiracy against dev, democracy

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged all to resist all kinds of conspiracies to build a non-communal, hunger-poverty free prosperous 'Sonar Bangladesh' as dreamt by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

"Let's turn the grief of losing the Father of the Nation into our strength and unitedly resist all kinds of plots and conspiracies, and build a non-communal, hunger-poverty free developed-prosperous Golden Bangladesh as dreamt by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman - let this be our solemn pledge on this National Mourning Day," the Prime Minister said in her message issued on the occasion of the National Mourning Day and 48th martyrdom anniversary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. 

Paying rich tributes to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and those embraced martyrdom on August 15 in 1975, the Prime Minister today said the Greatest Bangalee of all time, Father of the Nation, President Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman along with most of his family members was brutally assassinated on the day in 1975.

"On this National Mourning Day, I humbly remember all the martyrs of the August 15 and pray to the Almighty Allah for the salvation of their departed souls," she said.

Sheikh Hasina said the 15 August is the National Mourning Day. On this day in 1975, the Greatest Bangalee of all time, Father of the Nation, President Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman along with most of his family members was brutally assassinated, the premier said, adding that eighteen members of the Father of the Nation's family including Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnessa Mujib, three sons-valiant Freedom Fighter Captain Sheikh Kamal, valiant Freedom Fighter Lieutenant Sheikh Jamal and 10-year-old Sheikh Russel, two daughters-in-law Sultana Kamal and Rosy Jamal, brother valiant Freedom Fighter Sheikh Abu Naser, youth leader valiant Freedom Fighter Sheikh Fazlul Haq Moni and his pregnant wife Arzu Moni, peasant leader valiant Freedom Fighter Abdur Rab Serniabat, daughter Baby Serniabat, son Arif Serniabat, nephew journalist Shaheed Serniabat, grandson Sukanta Babu, and Abdul Nayeem Khan Rintu, among others, were killed by the heinous killers on that fateful night.

President's Military Secretary Brigadier General Jamil Uddin Ahmed and on duty ASI of Special Branch of Police Siddiqur Rahman were also murdered and several members of a family died in the capital's Mohammadpur area by artillery shells fired by the killers on the day, she added. 

Under the visionary and strong leadership and 23 years of political struggles of the Father of the Nation, the Bangalee Nation broke the shackles of subjugation and snatched away our great Independence, Sheikh Hasina said, adding that the anti-liberation clique killed Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib and most of his family members at a time when he was engaged in the struggle of building a Golden Bangladesh by reconstructing the war-ravaged country.

"Through the killing of the Father of the Nation, the defeated forces of the Liberation War made abortive attempts to ruin the tradition, culture and advancement of the Bangalee Nation. The aim of the killers was to break the state structure of secular democratic Bangladesh and foil our hard-earned Independence," she added.

The premier said the anti-liberation forces involved in the carnage initiated the politics of killing, coup and conspiracy in the country right after the August 15 of 1975.

They also impeded the trial of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib murder by promulgating Indemnity Ordinance, she said. 

Sheikh Hasina said Ziaur Rahman illegally took over the state power, promulgated Martial Law, killed democracy and tailored the Constitution and he rewarded the killers of the Father of the Nation and gave them jobs to the Bangladesh missions abroad. 

Ziaur Rahman gave nationality to the anti-liberation war criminals, made them partners in the state power and rehabilitated them politically and socially by giving them lucrative business, she said, adding that the subsequent illegal military government and the BNP-Jamaat alliance government followed the same path. 

The Prime Minister said Bangladesh Awami League assumed the state power after 21 years winning the general elections on June 12 in 1996 and started the trial of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib murder case but after coming to power in 2001, the BNP-Jamaat alliance government stopped this trial.

The countrymen voted Awami League to power again in the 9th parliamentary elections on December 29 in 2008 and overcoming the stalemate left by the previous BNP-Jamaat government, and global economic recession, the government began work to put the country on a firm economic footing.

She said during the past 14 and half years, the government has achieved desired advancement in every sector and Bangladesh has attained the status of developing nation and become a 'role model of socio-economic development' in the world.

"Our government has relentlessly been working to turn the country into a developed-prosperous Smart Bangladesh by 2041. We have completed execution of the verdict of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman murder case defying all conspiracies. The nation got rid of the stigma through the execution of the verdict of the Bangabandhu murder case," Sheikh Hasina said.

"Hopefully, names of those who were behind the conspiracy to assassinate the Father of the Nation will also come out one day. The trial of the killers of four national leaders has also been completed. The verdicts of the cases against the war criminals of 1971 are being executed," she said. 

"Our government has been following 'zero tolerance' policy to uproot militancy-terrorism. The path of grabbing state power illegally and unconstitutionally has been stopped through the 15th amendment to the Constitution," the premier added. 

She said the killers were able to murder Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib but they could not kill his dreams and ideals

But the anti-liberation radical groups and the anti-democracy and development cliques have still been hatching various conspiracies at home and abroad, she said and urged the countrymen to be always ready to protect the continuity of development and democracy of the country by unitedly resisting any evil attempt and conspiracy.