PM Asked Police to Take Necessary Action to Ensure Public Safety

She said BNP has no sympathy for the country and its people as the party did not create the country.

"We have created the country. So we have sympathy and responsibility to build the country with the ideals of the War of Liberation for which millions of people embraced martyrdom," she added.

The Prime Minister said this while addressing the senior officials of Bangladesh Police marking the Police Week-2015 at her Tejgaon office here today.

Sheikh Hasina said on the development outlook, there are some basic difference between the Awami League and the BNP. "We want to make the country self-reliant in food, BNP wants to make it dependent. We want to stump out poverty while BNP wants to make the nation as a begging one," she said.

Urging the police officials to work with strong mentality to handle the terrorist and militant activities of BNP-Jamaat, she said, "Today my only expectation to you is improvement of the law and order so that we can move forward the country's economy".

The Prime Minister said "as the head of the government I'm giving you the liberty to take any action wherever and whenever it will be deemed necessary against the arsonists killing people pouring on petrol."

Sheikh Hasina said BNP chairman can understand the suffering of losing her son. "But it's very unfortunate that she still cannot understand the woes and wails of the people who are losing their nears and dears everyday in the petrol bomb attack of her party-men," she said.

State Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan, Senior Secretary of the Home Dr M Mozammel Haq Khan and Inspector General of Police AKM Shahidul Haque also spoke on the occasion.

DMP Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia, DIG of Chittagong Range Shahidul Islam and Police Super of Dhaka Habibur Rahman also spoke on the occasion focusing on various demands of the police department.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said people of the country expect that police will take any action to curb terrorism, militancy and destructive activities of the BNP-Jamaat activists.

In doing this, she urged police to involve the common people and elected public representatives and other law enforcing agencies saying "you should not show any reluctancy in doing this."

Terming the ongoing political programmes of BNP as useless one, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the activities of BNP by no means can be termed as political movement but sheer terrorist activities.

She said we had urged BNP join an all-party government before the last general election and take the portfolio of the Home Ministry. But BNP denied to join the interim government and decided to boycott that election.

In the name of boycotting the election they pursued the path of destruction and killing innocent people. Over the last one year, she said the country was running smoothly and the economy was moving forward.

"But BNP-Jamaat went mad seeing the country's progress and started their unruly activities in the name of movement to oust the government. This time they came with more terrific plan, but the intelligence agencies foiled their evil ploy," she said.

Highlighting her government's future plan the Prime Minister said the government is working with the goal to reduce the poverty rate by more ten percent by next four years.

"It's the success of our government to reduce income discrepancies between poor and rich, and improve the living condition of the rural people through increasing their purchase capacity," she said.

Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh is one of the five fast growing countries. "We could bring the country to that position despite our limited resources," she said adding that ultimate goal of the movement of BNP-Jamaat is to obstruct the growth-pace.

"But none will be allowed to play with the fate of the people, obstruct the growth -pace and multiply the public sufferings," she said seeking all out cooperation from police force in this regard.

"The country should be built with the ideals of the War of Liberation. And in this view we have to come out of colonial mindset," the Prime Minister said calling for massive reform in the police to make it befitting to an independent nation.

Responding to the demands of the police force, the Prime Minister said there is no need to claim any demands as the government has its own plan for development of the force and make it as a modern and efficient law enforcing agency.

Sheikh Hasina said two posts of police were upgraded to Grade-1 and three others will be upgraded according to her government's commitment. She said twenty more posts of the law enforcing agencies will be upgraded to Grade-1. She also laid importance on reducing the number of grades in the civil administration.

She said the present government has implemented most of the development and welfare programmes of police. "Staff training college, construction of barracks and risk and tiffin allowance were implemented by Awami League government," she said.

The Prime Minister assured the police officials to consider their demands for construction of four police lines around Dhaka City to deal with the law and order against the backdrop of the extension of the metropolis.

She also assured them of looking into the demands of resolving the residence problems of the police and procure more transport for their mobility.

The Prime Minister asked police to link every police station with the information technology and build network among the intelligence agencies.

Photo: Saiful Islam Kallol