Hasina
Any problem with India can be resolved through discussion: Hasina
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday said any existing problems between Bangladesh and India can be solved through discussion.
She also described India as ‘a trusted friend’ of Bangladesh.
Sheikh Hasina said this while responding to some queries from Indian journalists during a dinner reception hosted in her honour by the Bangladesh High Commissioner at New Delhi’s Bangladesh House.
PM’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters after the meeting.
Quoting the prime minister, he said, "India is the largest neighbouring and friendly country of Bangladesh and it has a very good relationship with India."
She added Bangladesh has a separate relationship with India beyond the political one, in which the roots of Delhi’s complete support for Bangladesh during the War of Liberation in 1971 can be found.
"We may have problems. But any problem can be solved through discussion," she said.
The Prime Minister reached here this morning on a four-day state visit from September 5 to 8.
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Hasina's India visit to open new windows of cooperation: MoFA
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's India visit will open new windows of cooperation between the countries, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) Thursday.
The visit is significant for both Bangladesh and India, it added.
At the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina will pay a visit to New Delhi from September 5 to 8.
Hasina will visit India after three years since. She last visited in 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic broke out.
The prime minister will lead a high-level delegation which includes several ministers, advisers, secretaries and senior officials.
Representatives from business bodies of Bangladesh will also accompany Hasina.
The Bangladesh prime minister will be formally received by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi while a ceremonial guard of honour will be accorded to her. She will pay homage to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat.
Hasina is also expected to call on Indian Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar.
She will hold bilateral talks with Modi at the Hyderabad House.
The Bangladesh prime minister is also scheduled to attend a lunch to be hosted by her Indian counterpart.
The Indian external affairs minister and some other dignitaries are expected to meet Hasina during her stay in New Delhi.
Several agreements are expected to be signed during the state visit, MoFA said.
Hasina is also scheduled to attend a business event organised by the Confederation of Indian Industries.
She is expected to award the Mujib Scholarship, an initiative of the Bangladesh government, to the descendants of 200 Indian Armed Forces personnel who were martyred and critically injured during the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971.
The prime minister is scheduled to return to Dhaka on September 8.
Also read: Hasina’s India visit to strengthen Dhaka-Delhi multifaceted relationship: MEA
Police too have the right to protection when under attack, Hasina tells Parliament
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday told the Parliament that police have the right to protect themselves when they come under attack.
“Won’t the police have the right to protect themselves when they come under attack just because they are police? Their remarks seem that they (police) can do nothing even after bombs, sticks and brickbats are hurled toward them or they come under gun attack,” she said.
Hasina made the remarks as opposition BNP MP Rumeen Farhana earlier claimed in the House that the party’s recent protest programmes came under attacks in different places including Bhola contrary to the PM’s clear instructions.
The premier said police did nothing where BNP’s movement and programmes were peaceful.
“It is normal that opposition parties will wage movement. Yes, I told police to do nothing. It is right. But the police said (did) nothing first. If a man comes under attack, that person has the right to protection, let alone police,” she said.
Hasina, also the Leader of the House, was delivering her valedictory speech in the 19th session of the current parliament.
Read: BNP vows to avenge blood of its slain workers by ousting the govt
She said she promised that no one would say anything in case of peaceful procession and movement. “Where the programmes are peaceful, no one would anything there,” she said.
She said BNP men try to go for attack or create a situation for media coverage.
Criticising a section of media and opposition parties, the PM said they are spreading frustration in recent times as if everything is going to be destroyed. “But they (critics) are in good condition.”
Referring to a recent report of the World Bank, she said Bangladesh is not at food risk. The IMF also in its evaluation on August 16 last remarked that Bangladesh is in no crisis, she added.
Hasina to unveil Bangladesh-China friendship bridge on Sept 4
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the eighth Bangladesh-China Friendship Bridge in Pirojpur district on September 4.
Once open, the bridge will connect Pirojpur with southeastern districts of the country as well as mitigate the unemployment problem of the country by boosting the economy of the district.
The Bangladesh-China Friendship Bridge over the Kocha river at Bekutia point of Pirojpur will be unveiled by Hasina virtually, said the manager of Bridge Construction Project, Masud Mahmud Sumon.
The bridge will be named after Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib, he told reporters on Thursday.
Construction work of the bridge began on October 20, 2018, at Bekutia point on Barishal-Pirojpur-Khulna road. It was completed within the stipulated time amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mahmud said the one-km-long bridge is 1500 metres in length and it has 495 viaducts at both ends.
Also read: Padma Bridge: Know Its Amazing Facts, Engineering Wonders
The construction cost of the project is Tk 894 crore, of which, China provided Tk 654.79 crore as grant.
The bridge will also connect Khulna and Barishal districts.
Delhi has no comment on FM’s recent remarks
The government of India has no comment on the recent remarks made by the Bangladesh foreign minister, noting that there is a debate about its accuracy.
“I understand there is a debate actually about the accuracy of those reports (by media),” Arindam Bagchi, official spokesperson at the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, told reporters in a weekly briefing in New Delhi on Thursday.
He said the matter has also been clarified by the Bangladesh authorities. “I have nothing to say on that (FM’s remarks). “
Earlier, foreign minister AK Abdul Momen said, "I did not say anything related to the allegation brought against me. I have talked about stability. I said about stability in the global context where instability is prevailing."
"So, stability is the most important. We want stability in this region, too. We don't want any instability. If we can do this, it will be meaningful in this Golden Chapter of our relations," he told reporters explaining what he wanted to say in Chattogram at a programme on Thursday night.
Regarding Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s proposed visit to India next month, the MEA spokesperson said he does not have anything to say at this moment as high level visits are announced at the right time.
Also read: Momen retreats into full 'blame the media' mode
Hasina offers Bangladesh land for setting up D-8 economic zone
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday proposed establishment of a D-8 Economic Zone in Bangladesh for investment by the member countries aimed at accelerating their collective economic growth.
The offer came in five-point proposals she made in her speech at the of the 20th D-8 Council of Ministers meeting at Dhaka’s Hotel InterContinental, joining it through video conferencing from her official residence Ganobhaban.
The prime minister said Bangladesh is ready to provide space at its Special Economic Zones for investment of the member states.
“If it begins the process now, within the next decade, it will have a robust D-8 Economic Zone,” she said.D-8, also known as Developing-8, is an organization for development cooperation among Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Turkiye.
Established in 1997, the objectives of the forum are to improve member states’ position in the global economy, diversify and create new opportunities in trade relations, enhance participation in decision-making at international level and improve standards of living.
PM Hasina said time has come for the 25-year-old forum to expand its focus also on implementation of Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA), increased trade, ICT, diversification of agriculture for attaining food security and finding sources of alternative energy.
Read: PM Hasina urges global solidarity to face looming humanitarian crisis caused by war
Third gender community got recognition through Hasina in Bangladesh: Hasan Mahmud
It is Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina through whom the third gender community in Bangladesh got recognition which was non-existent priorly, said Information Minister and Joint General Secretary of Awami League Hasan Mahmud.
He made the remark while distributing the PM's Eid gift among the third gender community and freedom fighters at a programme in Chattogram on Saturday.
“There were many people who held power but could not introduce the option to write third gender in government forms or passports. PM Hasina created quotas for them in many jobs and made specific allocations for them,” said Hasan Mahmud.
Also read: BNP's statements outlandish, insane: Hasan Mahmud
He said,”Even when their families don’t accept them, the PM has thought about them and she can be called the mother of the third gender community people.”
Hasan Mahmud said that today there are people of third gender doing jobs in higher positions in government offices and banks are giving them special incentives.
“Giving the third gender community priority in social safety nets are also being discussed. Bangladesh has never seen such development of the neglected and marginalized population that happened in the last thirteen and a half years,” he added.
After opening of Padma Bridge people are saying their Eid journey has become much more comfortable, he said.
Also read: Abandon those who want to make Bangladesh a communal country: Hasan Mahmud
“But BNP leaders are saying that people are suffering during the journey. Actually they are in a bad mood seeing people being fine,” said Hassan Mahmud.
'Hasina: A Daughter's Tale' screened in Greece
The Bangladesh Embassy in Athens, in cooperation with the first multilingual library in Greece, has hosted a screening of the documentary film "Hasina: A Daughter's Tale."
Held at the "We Need Books" library premises Sunday, the screening was attended by a good number of Bangladeshis, students, embassy officials, members of the diplomatic corps, and the local civil society.
The maiden screening of the docudrama in a country like Greece, the cradle of ancient and western civilisation, created a lot of enthusiasm and curiosity among the audience about Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her family members and their role in the making of a modern, democratic, secular, and developing nation, said a media statement.
They were particularly amazed to see how Sheikh Hasina, daughter of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, had tried to cope with her most struggling time along with her only other surviving sister Sheikh Rehana following the brutal assassination of their father and all other members of their family.
The screening of the film was preceded by a short welcoming speech by the founder of the multilingual library Ioanna Nissiriou.
Bangladesh Ambassador Ashud Ahmed thanked the viewers for joining the screening of the documentary film organised as part of the Embassy's ongoing celebrations of the golden jubilee of the independence of Bangladesh.
He mentioned his embassy's plan to organise more such screenings in different corners of Greece in the coming days.
Ambassador Ashud hoped that Bangladesh would become a real Golden Bengal that would have prosperity, modernity, inclusivity, democracy and secularism as designed in Vision 2041 under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina.
Also read: Screening of 'Hasina: A Daughter's Tale' connects Kolkata audience
‘Hasina: A Daughter's Tale’ to be rescreened in historical city Athens Sunday
Hasina: A Daughter's Tale, a docudrama capturing the hard-to-believe real-life story of a woman struggling to reclaim her space in her own country, continues to earn rave reviews across the globe, with Greek city Athens being the latest in the line to screen it for the audience.
A special screening of the docudrama will take place in 'We Need Books' Multicultural Library in the historical city on Sunday at 8.30pm (Athens Time), according to the Centre for Research & Information (CRI).
The 70-minute docufiction starts dramatically with Sheikh Hasina, then staying far from her homeland, bumping into the horrifying update that a diabolical coup had killed nearly all family members.
That brief moment of the end-of-the-world shock foreshadowed a stranger-than-fiction story of a woman's fight against a world of challenges.
Read: Screening of 'Hasina: A Daughter's Tale' connects Kolkata audience
Directed by Piplu Khan and produced by CRI Trustees Radwan Mujib Siddiq and Nasrul Hamid, the movie culminated in success following five years of research and effort, presenting the never-told-before stories of the life of Hasina instead of her official role as the prime minister.
The docudrama offered first-person narratives of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her sister Sheikh Rehana, telling the tales of their lives as daughters of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
The film was also screened in a number of prestigious film festivals, earning acclamation from the audience who spotted a parallel between the political histories of Nigeria and Bangladesh, both having encountered notorious coups.
Earlier, think tank CRI has taken numerous initiatives to bring history closer to the young generation, including Hasina: A Daughter's Tale, Mujib Graphic Novel, Joy Bangla Concert, and Joy Bangla Youth Award.
Fugitive convicted for attempt to assassinate Hasina in 1994 lands in Pabna jail
A court here on Monday sent Zakaria Pintu, fugitive death row convict of a case filed over the attack on a train carrying the then opposition leader Sheikh Hasina in 1994, to jail.
He was produced before court around 2 pm and the court directed to send him to Pabna jail, said Ataur Rahman, Officer-in-Charge of Detective Branch of Pabna police.
On Saturday night, Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) arrested Zakaria Pintu, 50, of Ishwardi, from Teknaf of Cox’s Bazar during a drive.
Also read: 1994 assassination attempt: Fugitive death row convict held in city
Pintu was former general secretary of BNP and then general secretary of Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal in 1994.
Pintu was transferred to Ishwardi police station on Sunday and was kept under the custody of district DB police, said OC Ataur Rahman.
During primary interrogation, Pintu confessed that he was a fugitive accused of carrying out bomb attack on a train at Ishwardi railway station with the intention of killing the now Prime Minister.
Pintu was convicted in two murder case in Ishwardi in 1994 and in 2009. He was later arrested along with arms by law enforcers in 2011 and sentenced to 17 years in jail in an arms case.
Apart from the death sentence and imprisonment, there are six arrest warrants and 19 cases filed against him over various crimes, including terrorist activities, establishing dominance and extortion.
In 2015, he also took part in a local election in Pabna's Ishwardi as an independent candidate and lost it.
On September 23 in 1994, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was travelling to Syedpur from Khulna in a train and was attacked with bombs and gunshots at Ishwardi Railway station, as per the release.
A case was filed under the Explosives Act and Special Powers Act at Ishwardi GRP Police Station in Pabna in this regard.
Later, the investigating officer of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) submitted a chargesheet against a total of 52 people on April 3 in 1997, it added.
After long proceedings, nine accused, including Pintu, were sentenced to death while 25 to life imprisonment and 13 others to 10 years in prison on July 3, 2019.
He went into hiding soon after the sentence in the assassination attempt case was announced in 2019. He fled to India on the day following the judgment. After staying there for some days, he returned to the country and went into hiding in different parts of the country, including Dhaka, Rajshahi and Cox's Bazar.
He was last detained by RAB-2 while hiding at his friend's house in Teknaf of Cox's Bazar.