DHAKA: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, also ruling Awami League (AL) president, Sheikh Hasina on Saturday categorically said BNP-Jamaat alliance was burning people to death for the sake of their individual interest.
The premier made the assertion while addressing the International Sufi Conference 2014 at Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC) in the afternoon.
She further said BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia wanted to protect her money and properties by killing people while Jamaat-e-Islami wanted to foil the trial of their leaders who committed crimes against humanity.
“Why are they committing such violent activities when the country is moving forward?” she put question.
“How are they setting fire to innocent civilians, including women and minors and burning them alive? They do politics in the name of Islam but burning another Muslim alive; even holy mosques were not spared from their destructive acts,” she told her audience.
Indicating Khaleda Zia, the premier alleged, “She wants to create such a situation in the country where people and democracy will be destroyed but her money will be saved.”
Addressing the Alem-Ulema in the conference, Sheikh Hasina also said Jamaa-e-Islami is carrying out the rampage in the country to foil trial against those involved with crimes against humanity.
Sheikh Hasina added: “They (Jamaat leaders) would have been beheaded for their crimes if the country (Bangladesh) were an Islamic country. But, we have arranged a fair trial where, even, they are getting chances to appeal.”
She said, “There is nothing heinous act than torching mosque and it is BNP-Jamaat alliance which dishonoured the holy Quran by torching the holy book. They burnt hundreds of copies of Quran, and there is no history in Islam that a huge number of the holy books were torched.”
Bangladesh Tariqat Federation (BTF) organized the daylong conference, the first of its kind in Bangladesh, with the slogan of “Sufi idealism is only way to global peace”.
With BTF President Alhaj Syed Nazibul Bashar Maizbhandari, MP, in the chair, the inaugural session of the conference was addressed, among others, by BTF Secretary General Lion MA Awal, MP, BTF International Affairs Secretary Syed Tayabul Bashar Maizbhandari, Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in Bangladesh Shaer Mohammad, representative of Minhazul Quran International, UK, Afzal Hossain Sayeedi, representative of Dargah-e Nizamuddin Foundation, Delhi, Syed Nazim Ali Nizami and Secretary General of Khaza Moinuddin Chisti Foundation of Ajmer, India, Khaza Whaid Hossain Chisti.
Convener of the conference Dr Syed Rezaul Haque Chandpuri delivered the welcome speech.
Islamic scholars from home and abroad, including India, Germany, England, Russia and Bangladesh also joined the conference.
BDST: 1852 HRS, FEB 14, 2015
