Hasina surprised over foreign missions’ alert for its citizens in Bangladesh

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has expressed surprise at the UK, US and Australia advising their nationals to limit their movements in Bangladesh.

The countries claim to have reliable information that its citizens may be attacked by militants.
 
“Awami League leader Nazmul was murdered in New York City. Was an alert issued then?” she said while speaking to the media.
 
Hasina said that the incident of Italian citizen Cesare Tavella being shot dead in Dhaka was “very unfortunate”.
 
“There is an effort to create an atmosphere of fear not only in Bangladesh, but the whole world. But the people of Bangladesh believe in peace, not terrorism,” the prime minister said.

Hasina said she suspected those who wanted to create ‘instability’ in Bangladesh to be behind Tavella’s murder.

“There is a political party in Bangladesh which burns people to death. There are certain people in Bangladesh who want to create an abnormal situation by murders. These are the handiworks of those quarters,” she told the briefing at the Bangladesh Mission in New York on Tuesday evening (US local time).

On the issue of militant outfit Islamic State (IS) claiming responsibility of Tavella’s murder, Hasina said: “As far as we know, a message from Chicago claimed that IS had done it. But we are yet to get any information that someone from Bangladesh claimed (responsibility for) the killing.”

Hasina came down hard on the BNP for one of its leader’s comments after the Italian aid worker's murder. “We are astonished to see a BNP leader making vociferous remarks after different embassies issued a red alert.”

Senior BNP leader Abdul Moyeen Khan said on Tuesday that the government had fallen into its own trap by raising the bogey of extremists.

“This raises suspicion. He should be held and questioned about whether he has any links with the incident. I will ensure that once I return to the country,” Hasina told the media. 

On the Australian cricket team postponing its Bangladesh tour, the prime minister said that there had been no incidents of any attack in a sports event in Bangladesh.

“I can say that our security forces and people extend all cooperation for sports event. The law-enforcers are also committed to provide security,” said Hasina.