No talks but trial: Sheikh Hasina
Dhaka: Reiterating that there will be no dialogue with ‘terrorists and militants’ like BNP-Jamaat alliance, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday warned that they would be put on trial for their militant acts.
“Dialogue? With whom? With killers? What talks with the killers?” she told reporters emerging from the Burn Unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital where most of the petrol bomb victims of the ongoing violence receiving treatment.
The Prime Minister said all those who are committing such militant activities, giving orders, financing and implementing those will be brought to justice.
“We’ll take steps to put these people on trial and punish them the way it is done at the international level,” Hasina said.
Asserting that there is no place for militancy in Bangladesh, she said, “We’ll contain terrorism at any cost, we’ll go to any length for this.”
The Prime Minister also criticised those who are describing these killings and arsons as politics. “This is not politics, those who are saying that this is politics, they’re wrong, this is militancy and terrorism. We will do whatever needed to eliminate these menace,” she added.
Sheikh Hasina came down heavily on those who are pushing for holding dialogue with ‘terrorists and militant’ BNP-Jamaat alliance. “I’ll ask them (dialogue advocators) first to stop the killings and arson attacks. If they have that much interest to hold dialogue then fist stop the killing and arson attacks,” she said.
Recalling the incidents taken place when she went to the Gulshan office of Khaleda Zia to console her after the death of her son Arafat Rahman Koko, the Prime Minister said the gate was closed then. “Whether they (dialogue advocators) would be there for the second time had they been insulted the way I had been,” she said asking, “Don’t you see the killings of people through arson attacks?”
She noted that Khaleda Zia has no humanity, compassion for people, otherwise she would not have resorted to killings through arson attacks.
Hasina said those who do politics for people never kill people through arson attacks. “This is a perverted mentality, mental perversion has been occurred to that woman (Khaleda).”
The Prime Minister said Khaleda Zia and Jamaat celebrate after killing people through arson attacks.
Terming all these activities militancy, she asked Khaleda Zia to stop the killings as nobody gave her the license to kill people.
She warned that it would not be tolerated that BNP taking Jamaat-Shibir with them will kill the people of this country. “She (Khaleda) is killing people by giving orders from her Gulshan office where is leading a lavish life... she must stop these killings right now,” Hasina said adding that she does not want to see anymore burn victims.
The Prime Minister strongly criticised the BNB-Jamaat alliance for extending their hartal till Friday morning saying that these shutdowns are seriously hampering the academic activities of students as well as affecting the SSC examinations. “Is this a fun?” she asked.
She called upon people to put up a strong resistance against these evil deeds of BNP-Jamaat nexus.
Hasina also asked the media not to broadcast the destructive activities of them as this will rather encourage them to go for more destruction.
The Prime Minister handed over instruments of family savings certificates to 63 burn victims. She talked to them and enquired about their wellbeing.
Hasina asked the doctors to ensure all-out medical supports for the burn victims and said the government would do everything for their treatment.