‘Khaleda wants us down to Pakistan's levels’

Khaleda Zia's violent agitation is aimed at pulling Bangladesh down to the levels of terror-ravaged Pakistan, Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozzamel Huq has said.

Huq claimed at an Awami League meeting organised to mark the historic March 7 in Washington that Bangladesh has achieved significant progress under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's leadership in the last six years.
 
"That upsets Khaleda Zia, because during this period, Pakistan has only gone down, paying the price of her long backing of terrorism."
 
"BNP's long agitation for two months now is nothing but a conspiracy to damage our economy and polity so that we are brought down to the levels of Khaleda's beloved Pakistan," Huq told the meeting.
 
The two month agitation has already cost Bangladesh economy significant loss -- a government estimate recently put that at TK 1.2 trillion.
 
More than 100 people have died, mostly in fire-bombings. Scores more have been injured.
 
Though initially written off as a basket case after gaining independence from Pakistan in 1971, Bangladesh has achieved significant progress in the last few decades.
 
Its annual GDP growth has steadily stayed above 6 percent despite a global downturn, its foreign exchange reserves have crossed the $20 billion mark, remittances from its nationals abroad have broken all previous marks.
 
More importantly, Bangladesh has been projected as a model of inclusive economic growth and it has achieved its 2015 Millennium Development Goals well ahead of time.
 

File Photo

Its social sector achievements have also been striking and Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen has put Bangladesh ahead of India (not to speak of Pakistan) in many spheres like women's education and empowerment.

This has happened even as Pakistan has gone downhill, ravaged by terrorism, religious bigotry and ceaseless ethnic violence.

According to last year’s Global Peace Index (GPI), published by Australia-based Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), Bangladesh is ahead of India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Bangladesh’s state of peace was described as ‘medium’ as it secured the 98th position among 162 countries covered in the index.

India ranked 143rd in the index, Pakistan 154th and Afghanistan 161st.

Two other South Asian countries -- Nepal and Bhutan – are, however, ahead of Bangladesh in the GPI, which is the world’s leading measure of global peacefulness.

Apart from peace and stability, Bangladesh is also ahead of Pakistan in different areas of human developments.

Bangladesh ranked 142 among 187 countries in the UNDP’s Human Development Index 2014 while Pakistan was placed at the 146th.

The UN has also placed Bangladesh among 18 fastest-growing countries in human development in its annual assessment that is published based on life expectancy, literacy, education and per capita income.

Liberation War Affairs Minister Mozammel Huq at the party meeting in Washington said BNP chief Khaleda Zia had decided to boycott the last general elections under pressure from its ally Jamaat-e-Islami.

“Jamaat thought they won’t be able to foil the war crimes trials if they had lost the elections miserably.”

The minister also claimed that the people had rejected the BNP-led 20-Party alliance’s agitations.