Hasina vows to stop secret killings

Renewing her allegation that the BNP-Jamaat clique is behind the recent killings in Bangladesh, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said the government would do whatever needed to stop the killings and that it was just a matter of time.

"We'll do whatever is needed to stop the secret killings…if the government can rein in the broad daylight killings by BNP-Jamaat during the first part of the last year, we can face these killings as well Inshallah…it's just a matter of time," she said.

She said this in her introductory speech at a meeting of Awami League Central Working Committee at her official residence Gano Bhaban.

Terming the killings as part of a plot, Hasina urged the people to come forward to resist the terrorists and militants as they did in 2015. "The culprits are committing secret killings just to undermine the country and destroy its image."

She said the government would track each and every person behind these secret killings and put them on trial. "Where will they go? We will definitely dig them out."

Hasina, also the Awami League chief, came down heavily on a section of people who are making hue and cry after every killing saying the government has failed. "Their voice was not that much strong while the BNP-Jamaat clique was burning hundreds of people in the name of a movement."

She suggested finding out the masterminds of these killings, their financiers and instigators, and the section of people who are seeing failure of the government after every killing.

Urging the people to resist these terrorists and militants with united efforts, the PM made it clear that the government as well as the law enforcement agencies would provide all-out help to them.

Responding to BNP chief Khaleda Zia's allegation that the AL was involved in these killings, Hasina said it was the habit of the BNP chief to kill people. "And I myself had faced the attempts of killing several times."

Hasina further alleged that BNP always patronised killing. "It's not our passion and profession, they are the sponsors of all the killings that have taken place in Bangladesh."

Reiterating that Islam is the religion of peace, she said it never allows killing anyone as the Almighty Allah is the only authority for any judgement. "But these people have taken over the charge on their own shoulder and this how they're violating the values of the religion. And Islam is suffering a lot for the misdeeds of a handful of people.”

She also mentioned that Bangladesh was a place of religious harmony where people of all religions were performing their rituals without any hindrance.

Describing various development activities of the government in the last seven years, the PM said when the government put the country on the track of development and light, the BNP-Jamaat nexus wanted to block the road of development.

"There will be no mercy to those who want to stop the wheel of development. We'll surely take actions against them, there'll be no room for terrorism and militancy in Bangladesh," Hasina said.

She warned the people who are involved in the secret killings also have their own families, and they are putting their own families in danger.

The Prime Minister urged the guardians of these families to bring back their sons from the path of militancy, terrorism and killings to the right path.