...Bangla dynastic politician and current Prime Minister of Bangladesh. She has been the President of the Bangla Awami League since 1981. She is the eldest of five children of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangladesh. Her party defeated the BNP-led Four-Party Alliance in the 2008 parliamentary elections. She has once before held the office, from 1996 to 2001, when she was defeated in a landslide...on Sunday warned that the present government will not allow any attack on any religious institution and categorically said those who attacked Buddhists temples and monasteries will definitely be punished after proper investigation.
“It’s my question who’ve committed this heinous act and with which intention? Thousand years’ of valuable artifacts, idols and cultural relics have lost with these heinous attacks. It’s not only the loss of the Buddhist community, but also the nation,” she said.
The prime ministerÂ’s strong remarks came while exchanging greetings with the representatives of the Buddhist community at her official residence Gono Bhaban ahead of Probarona Purnima.
The premier said a vested quarter unleashed the attacks on the Buddhist monasteries and damaged the houses of the Buddhists in a bid to tarnish the countryÂ’s image.
Administering a note of warning, Hasina said the present government will not allow any attack on any religious institution or any religious sentiment as it wants to ensure free and peaceful celebration of religious festivals of all religions in the country.
Reiterating that her government has been working tirelessly to ensure the basic and constitutional rights of people, Hasina called upon all, including the Buddhist community, to work together for foiling the evil attempts of the conspirators to destroy the hard-earned democracy.
She said her government has already constructed makeshift houses for the victims and funds have been allocated to reconstruct the damaged temples and Buddhists sculptures and the countryÂ’s leading architects of the country have showed interest to redesign those voluntarily.
Hasina said all religions give importance to humanity, preaching the message of peace and showing respect to each others. “But sometimes such suicidal incidents take place in our society harming the fraternity.”
She mentioned that her government has already established the voting rights of people, one of the main constitutional rights. “Holding free, fair, peaceful and neutral holding of over 6,000 elections in nearly last four years is the bright examples of that.”
With the huge mandate of people, Hasina said, her government amended the constitution and restored the spirit of the Liberation War, ensured the equal rights of people of all religions and stopped the path of illegal grabbing of state power through unconstitutional means.
Hasina said her government has been working hard to create such an environment where all, irrespective of their religion, caste and creed, will enjoy equal rights and perform their religious rituals and festivals with full freedom.
The people of all religions in Bangladesh have been living in the country maintaining peace and harmony as they freed it through a nine-month struggle in 1971. “So, all will enjoy the equal rights.”