Target killings are handiwork of BNP, aim to raise question about Bangladesh, says Hasina

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has held the BNP and its allies responsible for the recent target killings in Bangladesh. The killings, according to her, were aimed at destabilising the country and foiling the war crimes trials.

Speaking at a reception in her honour by the Bangladeshi community in Tokyo, Hasina said the BNP had resorted to target killings after failing to wage an anti-government movement.

“They murdered innocent people, priests, a church father and foreign nationals to draw global attention so that questions could be raised against Bangladesh,” she told the audience at a Tokyo hotel on Sunday.

“Our former foreign minister Dipu Moni’s first cousin along with his friend was killed inside his apartment,” said Hasina, referring to the murder of gay rights activist Xulhaz Mannan and his theatre activist friend Mahbub Rabbi Tonoy in Dhaka.

“He worked for the US embassy and then joined USAID. We shared the same ideology. They were murdered so that the Americanscould raise questions,” she said.

The prime minister said the sole objective of the targeted killings was to destabilise the country and to hinder the war crimes trials.

She, however, vowed to press on with the trials. “It’s the people’s desire. The people of Bangladesh are being freed from the stigma associated with the war criminals.”

On the execution of Motiur Rahman Nizami and Ali Ahsan Md Mujahid—Cabinet members during the BNP’s 2001-6 term, Hasina said, “The war criminals were given the flag of Bangladesh through their being made ministers. Both of them have been brought to justice.”

Bangladesh is now dubbed as a ‘miracle’ for its achievements, said the prime minister. “Whenever I am abroad, I face one question: ‘ow is it possible? It’s a miracle’.”

Highlighting the growth in remittance and export earnings, Sheikh Hasina said, “We have achieved 7.05 percent growth. Per capitaincome stands at US$ 1,644 and I hope it will cross US$ 2,000 very soon.”

The prime minister said her vision was to have infrastructure like Japan’s developed in Bangladesh.

“Japan is a developed country, it’s not appropriate to draw a comparison here. But there’s no problem in hoping that our country will be like (Japan) someday.”

She informed the gathering that recent development projects had changed the ‘face of Dhaka.’

The prime minister said that the government had plans to build 100 special economic zones to attract foreign investments.

She said 500 acres of land would be allotted in Chittagong for Japanese investors.