Cricketers’ safety comes first, says Hasina

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina says that the safety of Bangladesh’s cricketers will be prioritised for any future matches abroad after Bangladesh’s international team narrowly avoided a terrorist attack in New Zealand’s Christchurch.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 16 March 2019, 07:03 AM
Updated : 16 March 2019, 07:04 AM

The Bangladesh team’s tour of New Zealand was cut short after the attack. The team has left New Zealand and will arrive in Bangladesh on Saturday night.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina made the remarks during a video conference event at the Ganabhaban on Saturday, where she inaugurated several construction projects.

A total of 49 people were killed on Friday after a gunman opened fire at two mosques in Christchurch.

The Bangladesh international cricket team was headed to one of the mosques for Friday prayers.

The cricketers managed to escape the attack, but three Bangladeshi nationals were killed.

“I thank Allah,” the prime minister said. “Our cricket players were going to the mosque to pray, but an injured woman prevented them from entering.”

“We will seriously scrutinise the security arrangements before we send them abroad in the future,” she said. “We provide proper security for those who come to play in our country.”

Sheikh Hasina condemned the mosque attack.

“This disgusting attack was an act of terrorism and militancy. To enter a place of worship and murder worshippers as they pray – an act this grotesque cannot be called anything else.”

“Not only do I hope that people across the world condemn this attack, I hope they take steps to end terrorism forever. Militants and terrorists do not have a religion, they do not have a race, they do not have a nationality. They are terrorists and we must deal with them as terrorists.”

The prime minister highlighted Bangladesh’s success in fighting militancy in her speech.

“We have been able to protect our country from militancy and terrorism through much hard work.”

Sheikh Hasina inaugurated a second Kanchpur Bridge on the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway, a four-lane flyover on the Dhaka-Sylhet Highway in Bhulta and a railway overpass in Latifpur at the Ganabhaban video conference event.

The prime minister stressed the importance of following traffic laws in her speech.

“We must follow traffic laws. We will investigate the causes of road accidents.”

She urged drivers to exercise caution on the roads and not vie for dominance. She also instructed the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges to build rest stops for long-haul drivers.