STAFF REPORTER, The Independent

Speakers at a discussion on the silver jubilee of BNP yesterday said Bangladesh was economically progressing rapidly under the present government and it would become a developed country within the next 25 years by following the politics of consensus introduced by Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman.

They said BNP had survived many conspiracies from outside and within the party and would also succeed in taking the country forward foiling all conspiracies hatched against it.

Finance and Planning Minister and BNP standing committee member M Saifur Rahman was the main speaker at the discussion titled "25 years of BNP in the development of the country and nation" at the Mahanagar Natya Mancha. The discussion was organised as part of the four-day programme of silver jubilee celebration of the BNP. The party chairperson and Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia was present at the discussion.

Former vice chancellor of Dhaka University Prof Emajuddin Ahmed, former VC of Dhaka University and former ambassador Prof Mohammad Moniruzzaman Miah, president of Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA) Prof Dr MA Hadi, former pro-vice chancellor of the National University Dr Mahbubullah, Vice Chancellor of National University Dr Aftab Ahmad and Prof Nurjahan Sarker of Dhaka University Zoology Department participated in the discussion. Health and Family Welfare Minister and BNP standing Committee member Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain gave the address of welcome. BNP Secretary General and LGRD and Co-operatives Minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan presided.

Saifur Rahman described the background of Shaheed President Zia’s accession to power and the formation of the BNP and piloting it through tumultuous events by Zia and later Begum Khaleda Zia. He said President Ziaur Rahman was put to the power by the people to fill a special kind of vacuum created at that time. He said at the time Bangladesh was like a ship without a captain. The Minister said a political vacuum was created in the country when BAKSAL government was overthrown and the political system collapsed. He said Ziaur Rahman started the process of launching BNP after forming a comprehensive platform through consensus of the patriotic people of different opinions. Saifur said Zia was a futuristic visionary leader. He said what UN has later set as the millennium goal was actually in the vision of President Zia.

Saifur Rahman said during its rule from 1972 to 1975 the Awami League killed democracy, destroyed the economy, press freedom and even freedom of the judiciary. He said all the problems of the country originated during the first Awami League rule. Saifur said even the independence and sovereignty of the country was at stake during the Awami ‘misrule.’ He said the inflation rate reached 69 per cent during the Awami League rule.

The Finance Minister said Shaheed President Zia restored multi-party democracy and started politics and diplomacy of balance. He said Zia involved women who constitute half of the population in the mainstream of politics.

Saifur pointed out, as the values of BNP was similar to those of the majority of the people they consider BNP their own political party and voted it to power whenever they got a chance to exercise free voting rights.

Saifur recalled that the farsighted leader, Zia built up a special relation with the Muslim world and the Muslim world leaders were ready to accept him as their leader.

Saifur disclosed that Zia saved the nation from a disaster and there was a big conspiracy behind his killing. He said after Ershad illegally captured power the country was again ruined by the autocrat during his nine-year rule. He said again it was the first BNP government of Begum Zia which saved the country as Zia did. He said the country achieved economic growth under the pragmatic leadership of Begum Zia.

The Minister said in 1996 the BNP government was overthrown in a ‘civilian coup.’ He said during the Awami League rule from 1996 to 2001 terrorism was institutionalised throughout the country and the economy was shattered. He said that again the country was now achieving economic growth under the four-party alliance government led by Begum Zia. He expressed his hope that if the BNP followed the politics of consensus introduced by Shaheed President Zia and respect the aspirations of the people as it was doing now, the party would be able to observe its golden jubilee in power.

Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan recalled, after the killing of Zia many political pundits predicted that BNP would not survive but it had not only survived but also flourished under the able leadership of Begum Khaleda Zia. He said it was possible due to the uncompromising attitude of Begum Zia and hard work by the dedicated party workers.

The BNP Secretary General said after the fall of Ershad when BNP formed government with the support of the people BNP led by Begum Zia built the economy ruined by Ershad. He said the more conspiracy there would be against BNP the party would emerge more stronger. He urged the party leaders and workers to work tirelessly for implementing the election pledges and fulfil people’s aspirations.

Dr Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain urged the party leaders and workers to face all conspiracies by forging strong national unity based on Bangladeshi nationalism.

Prof Emajuddin Ahmed said various quarters within and outside the country were now conspiring against Bangladesh. He said all conspiracies could be foiled by strengthening democratic process and ensuring good governance.

Prof Moniruzzaman Miah said that in the field of foreign policy Shaheed Zia followed the strategy of safeguarding national interest. He said Zia not only maintained good relations with neighbouring countries but also formed SAARC for regional co-operation. He recalled that during Zia’s tenure Bangladesh was elected member of the UN Security Council defeating an economic super power Japan.

Prof Moniruzzaman said the four-party government led by Begum Zia have succeeded in proving to the world comm unity that Bangladesh was not a fundamentalist country and it had no connection with international terrorism.

Prof Dr Hadi said President Zia built up a people-oriented healthcare system. He said many brilliant expatriate physicians returned home at the personal initiatives of Zia.

Dr Mahbub said when the government of Sheikh Hasina left power the foreign exchange reserve came down to 100 crore dollars. Quoting a Far Eastern Economic Review report he said it had now reached 2.5 billion dollars as a result of efficient management of the economy. He said a "silent economic revolution" has taken place in the country during Begum Zia’s rule. He said the driving force behind it was the politics of development and production introduced by Zia.

Dr Aftab said President Zia took steps to ensure healthy student politics on the campus and to bring back the student to studies instead of involving them in destructive politics. He said a qualitative change was initiated in the field of education by Shaheed president Zia. He mentioned that Zia took massive programmes to eliminate illiteracy as well.

Nurjahan Sarker said Zia took steps for women’s education and ensuring their rights for their empowerment.

STAFF REPORTER, The Independent

The Awami League yesterday expressed strong resentment at the remarks of Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia made at a public meeting at the city’s Paltan Maidan on Monday where she accused the previous Awami League government of erasing the name of Allah from the Constitution.

"In a bid to cover up her government’s failure to run the state affairs and to mislead the people, Begum Zia was now taking recourse to falsehood in a bid to create a smokescreen by shifting the blame on the Awami League," the party general secretary Abdul Jalil MP in a statement said yesterday.

He said being isolated from the people for its failure in all sectors, inefficiency, unbridled corruption, killing, terrorism, and political persecution, the head of the government was now talking ‘gibberish’.

Rejecting the Prime Minister’s allegations, Jalil said that the previous Awami League government had not dropped the name of Allah or "Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim" from the constitution during its five-year rule. Rather, the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had ensured freedom of the people of all religious beliefs in performing their rites and worked for the unity, solidarity and prosperity of the Islamic Ummah, he added.

Criticising the BNP-led alliance government for issuing licence for brewery, reducing the prices of liquor and enhancing the prices of prayer mats in the national budget and its refusal to make condolence motion in the House for the Muslim brethren killed in US attack in Iraq, the Awami League leader said, "Tall talk for the cause of Islam does not suit the alliance government."

The Awami League general secretary also dismissed as ludicrous the Prime Minister’s claim that Awami Leaguers themselves had killed their own party leaders including Advocate Manjurul Imam in Khulna and Sharif Mozammel Huq in Dhaka. "None will be convinced by such cheap propaganda," he added.

He said, "We leave the matter to the people to judge as to how far Islam and the constitution are safe under this government."

Jalil called upon the Prime Minister to refrain from false propaganda and bluffing people in the name of religion and said she (PM) should rather pay more attention to resolving problems of the people and ensuring their safety and security.

In another statement, the Awami League leader condemned the incident at Bogra town during hartal hours on August 28 in which, he alleged, the BNP hoodlums attacked the AL district unit office and ransacked it inflicting injuries to scores of party leaders and workers.

Expressing his surprise at the government’s role in filing ‘conspiratorial cases’ against some 66 AL leaders and activists including former legislator Kamrun Nahar Putul in connection with the incident instead of nabbing the BNP goons, Jalil alleged that the government has been adopting a cruel tactics to persecute its opponents.

He demanded immediate arrest of the real culprits of the Bogra incident and their exemplary punishment.