Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday urged all to remain alert as anti-liberation forces along with their companions are still conspiring against Bangladesh taking assistance from abroad.

"War criminals, defeated forces, August-15 killers and their children are still conspiring against Bangladesh. They’re plotting against the country," she said.

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The Prime Minister said this while addressing a programme of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) at Krishibid Institution, Bangladesh (KIB) marking the National Mourning Day.

She joined the programme virtually from her official residence Ganobhaban.

Hasina said the evil forces are pampered by some international forces which had acted against Bangladesh’s Liberation War. "The nation must remain alert about it."

Referring to the nation-building hectic efforts of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, she said the defeated forces staged the August-15 massacre when they saw Bangladesh cannot be stopped from its economic march forward. "We’ve to move forward keeping that in our mind."

Hasina said the defeated forces took their revenge with the August-15 carnage and distorted the history of Bangladesh after that, its struggle to liberation and independence.

The Prime Minister alerted all that Bangladesh has many enemies and massive hurdles in every step of its development journey.

"Our path of progress is not smooth. It’s rather full of hurdles, but we’ve to move forward overcoming all the odds and obstacles, and we’re doing that," she said, adding Bangladesh has stood out on the world stage in the last 12 years.

Talking about Ziaur Rahman and his engagement in the Liberation War in 1971, Hasina said there is no instance that Ziaur Rahman fired a single shot at the Pakistani forces.

"No one can prove that."

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She mentioned that Mustaq, Rashid and Farooq during their interviews with the BBC admitted that Ziaur Rahman was always with them. "Zia was the source of all power (for them), he betrayed," she said.

The PM said she sometimes thinks that these people, who had always visited Bangabandhu’s house for various purposes, including personal matters, killed the Father of the Nation. “How could they do that!”

The Prime Minister highlighted the sacrifice of her mother Bangamata Fazilatunnesa Mujib saying that her mother was beside Bangabandhu throughout her life.

"My father could fully engage in the service of the country as he got such a companion beside him…this is a rare instance," she said.

Sheikh Hasina, the chief patron of BCL, asked the BCL activists and leaders to work for the country being imbued with patriotism and follow the ideals of the Father of the Nation. 

Awami League presidium members Jahangir Kabir Nanak and Abdur Rahman, BCL president Al Nahean Khan Joy and general secretary Lekhak Bhattacharjee also spoke at the programme.

At the beginning of the programme, a one-minute silence was observed to show respect to the martyrs of the August 15 massacre.

The Prime Minister, earlier, unveiled the covers of books titled ‘Matribhumi’ and ‘Joy Bangla Magazine’.