Hands of Those Who Make and Hurl Petrol Bombs Should Be Burnt: Prime Minister

"I am very depressed at the news of burning of a pregnant woman whose baby died in her womb due to throwing of petrol bomb by the terrorists of BNP-Jamaat. The hands of those who make and hurl petrol bombs should be burnt after their arrest so that they can feel the torment of the burning," she said.

"I know that there are some "atels" (so-called intellectuals) who would criticize my comments...let they go to the burn unit (of hospitals) and see the cry of the victims who suffered burn injuries due to heinous crime of the terrorists of BNP-Jamaat nexus," she added.

The Prime Minister said this while addressing a function arranged on the occasion of laying of the foundation stone of the 20-storey head office building of National Security Intelligence (NSI) Directorate at Segun Bagicha in the capital this afternoon.

Sheikh Hasina is the first head of government of Bangladesh who first visited the NSI headquarters here.

NSI Director General Major General Md Shamsul Haque delivered the welcome address, while PM's Security Adviser Major General (Retd) Tarique Ahmed Siddique was present at the dais.

Besides, Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith was present at the function among dignitaries.

Directing the NSI members to contain militancy, terrorism and anti-social activities like smuggling drug trafficking and peddling with an iron hand, the Prime Minister said there is no room for militants and terrorists on the soil of Bangladesh.

"There is no place for militants and terrorists on the soil of Bangladesh and we won't allow our land to be used for terrorist activities in the neighbouring countries," she said.

In this connection, the Prime Minister observed that the NSI members will have to take stern action against the anti-social elements. "You will have to take stern action against such culprits whoever they might be," she said.

Referring to the patronage of militants and terrorists by the BNP-Jamaat government in the past, Sheikh Hasina said those who dig a well to harm others have to fall into it.

"It has been proved that the country which wanted to harm its neighbours by giving shelter to the militants and supplying arms had to pay price for it," she said.

The Prime Minister said her government has restored peace in the Chittagong Hill Tracts region by signing the landmark peace accord. "The region witnessed massive economic development. Despite that, a certain quarter is now engaged in playing with the country."

In this regard, she posed a question: "Who wants to make Bangladesh an ineffective state and reestablish terrorism and militancy?"

Sheikh Hasina said her government wants to build Bangladesh as a peaceful state in South Asia by uprooting terrorism and militancy. "A peaceful situation prevailed over the last six years as we moved with this policy," she said.

Questioning the justification of the ongoing anti-government movement of BNP-Jamaat nexus, the Prime Minister said she cannot understand on which issue they are staging movement.

She said Bangladesh is now a role model and a potential country in the world and it is moving towards economic prosperity. "At this stage, the ill activities are unfortunate for the country....I don't find any issue for the movement," she said.

"What is the real picture we see? There would have a justification of building movement against us had we been failed to run the country after the January 5 polls, had the country not been economically developed, had the militant activities not been stopped and had the buying capacity of the people not been raised," she said.

"We have been maintaining over 6.2 percent GDP growth and reduced poverty rate to 24 percent and hope that the rate would be cut by 10 percent more in the next four years. So where are our faults?", she said, adding no other country made such progress within so short time.

About suggestion of dialogue with BNP by some quarters, the Prime Minister said she offered such dialogue over telephone before the January 5 polls, but the BNP leader's response was negative.

"Everybody heard the language Begum Zia used in the telephonic conversation with me. We are not habituated to listen to such words and language. Moreover she took six hours to receive my phone call," she mentioned.

Sheikh Hasina said it is a political decision of a party whether it would participate in the polls or not. "But BNP did not come to the polls as its ally Jamaat-e-Islam was barred from joining the polls due to a High Court order," she said.

Spelling out Bangladesh's tremendous successes in different fields, the Prime Minister said Bangladesh is now one of the five countries which advanced in the global economic development.

"But those who opposed the emergence of Bangladesh are still plotting against the country, state and the people. They committed heinous crimes like subversive acts, bomb explosions, burning the sleeping people to death by pouring petrol and killing schoolboys," she said.

Sheikh Hasina said they burnt thousands of copies of the holy Quran in front of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque and attacked mosques and temples. "They also did anti-state work like torching vehicles and uprooting fishplates of railings, and attacked and set fire to 582 schools to foil the January 5 polls," she said.

The Prime Minister said BNP had tarnished the image of the country before the whole world by forging the signature of the US Congressmen and publicizing false news of telephonic conversation between the BNP chairperson and the BJP president.

The Prime Minister underscored the need for a strong and smart intelligence agency as it is indispensable to safeguard sovereignty of a country and security of its citizens and take effective measures against terrorism.

To achieve the goal, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman formed "The National Security Intelligence (NSI)" agency in the newly independent Bangladesh through a regulation on 29th December 1972 and it has now become the largest intelligence organization, she said.

Sheikh Hasina said the NSI has been performing its responsibilities of collecting, analyzing and evaluating intelligence information from various strategically important places at home and abroad.

Besides, she said, the responsibilities of formulating national security planning and taking measures of strategic security activities across the boundary of the country are also bestowed on the NSI.

She regretted that the NSI lost trust of the people when illegal power grabbers used the force as a weapon for prolonging their illegal takeover after brutal assassination of Bangabandhu in 1975 defaming the dignity of the organization.

"The NSI regained its lost pride and glory as the Awami League forming the government after long 21 years in 1996 took steps including development of its infrastructure and procurement of equipment and vehicles to transform it into a nationally-important and professional organization," she said.

Sheikh Hasina said her government after taking the office in 2009 reformed the organizational structure of the NSI and increased various facilities for its members.

Steps have been taken to allot lands for eight divisional headquarters office as well as in its offices of 64 districts and metropolitan areas of the country, she said, adding that construction of its own building in four districts has already been completed.

Praising the role of the NSI in containing terrorism and militancy, Sheikh Hasina said the members of the force along with other law enforcers are playing an effective role in this regard.

Earlier, the Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of the 20-storey building by unveiling its plaque.

The Directorate of Public Works and the Directorate of Architecture would jointly implement the Taka 87.99 crore project. The duration of the project is October 13 to June 2016.

At the outset of the function, a minute's silence was observed as a mark of respect to Junior Field Officer of NSI Abdus Sattar who died in a road accident in front of Jatiya Press Club in the capital this morning.