Bangladesh will not bow to International authorities: PM

"You know well that Sheikh Hasina does not succumb to any pressure whether it is national or international. The country is ours and the people are ours. We would continue the work that is needed for the country and the people," she said.

"We want cooperation of all to run the new government. I told BNP earlier and tell it again to shun the destructive acts like enforcing hartal and blockade and burning the people to death and felling trees and to cut relations with war criminal Jamaat," she said.

About dialogue with BNP, the Prime Minister said her government may take any steps for continuation of democracy. "We may take any steps for continuation of democracy and we won't face any trouble in this regard," she said.

She, however, said, for this, BNP will have to stop terrorist acts and militancy first.

About the Teesta and enclave issues with India, the Prime Minister said the issue of land boundary agreement with India has already been resolved and a bill in this regard has been placed in Indian parliament.

She said discussion with India about Teesta and enclave issues is underway. She said West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee may oppose the Teesta treaty as she sees the issue from her own point of view and I think she should come forward with an attitude of understanding as a neighbour.

The Prime Minister said, \"Any problems could be resolved through bilateral discussion and I have no objection to talk to Mamata Banerjee.\"

About the trial of war criminals, Sheikh Hasina said the trial of the 1971 culprits who committed crimes against humanity during the War of Liberation is underway. \"The verdicts are being announced and executed and it would continue,\" she said.

The Prime Minister said that her government wants to create a national consensus in a bid to save public life and property, ensure security to the minorities, stop political vengeance, maintain the flow of development, keeping trade, commerce, export and all political activities above all kinds of violent activities.

"We'll take all steps needed to protect the public life and property, ensure peace and safeguard democracy. We want the political vengeance, terrorism and violence to be eliminated to make sure that peace and security prevail among common people," she added.

In this connection, she said that her government has been able to prove in the last five years that Bangladesh is capable of moving ahead economically.

"We're moving ahead, we'll also move ahead in the coming days Insha Allah," she said.

Terming the post-poll violence in different parts of the country to fulfill political vengeance by the BNP-Jamaat-Shibir as unfortunate, Sheikh Hasina said that her government wants peace and democratic stability instead of anarchy and uncertainty, maintain the pace of economic development instead of destruction and subversive activities.

\"I know that the people from country\'s all classes want peace and democratic process to continue and understanding to the democratic process would move the country ahead. We want that the country\'s people live in peace and security,\" she said.

Noting that the then main opposition party BNP did not perform responsibility properly in strengthening democracy and maintaining the constitutional process, she said: \"The polls would have been more competitive and democracy would have got a firm footing, had they (BNP) come into the election\"

The Prime Minister said that the BNP chairperson might have realized that she had committed a big mistake by not joining the 10th parliamentary elections. \"She (Khaleda) might realize that from whom she was given advice of not joining the polls proved to be not good. So, I\'ll expect that she (Khaleda) would remain in the path of democracy and reorganize her party giving up the subversive, militant and terrorist activities,\" she said.

The Prime Minister criticized the role of the BNP chairperson for not responding to her repeated call for holding dialogue and for giving ultimatums time and again to oust the government.

She said Khaleda Zia\'s choosing the path of conflict and violence instead of path of democracy was very unfortunate for the nation which led to the deaths of many people from all classes.

Sheikh Hasina also strongly denounced the post-poll violence and oppression on the minorities in different parts of the country saying that it was very unfortunate that the miscreants also violated some women of the minorities.