Seeking to assure the predominantly Hindu community in Bangladesh and the global community at large, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said her government strongly supports secularism and any attempts to disturb communal harmony are immediately dealt with.<\/p>\n
In an interview with South Asia’s leading multimedia news agency ANI ahead of her visit to India, she, however, contended that extremism was not limited to her country as many countries, including India, were witnessing it.<\/p>\n
The premier said one of the reasons for the rising extremism was social media, which had become “very very bad nowadays”.<\/p>\n
“As long as we are in power, we always give importance to that and I always tell them (the minority) that you are our citizens. You should own our country. But some incidents sometimes take place but immediately we take action. It is sometimes, it happened, it’s very unwanted situation but you know very well it is not only Bangladesh, even in India also sometimes minorities \u00a0suffered,” she said.<\/p>\n
There have been reports about attacks and hostility against the minority Hindu population in Bangladesh. Some reports have mentioned attacks on Durga Puja pandals or places of worship.<\/p>\n
Sheikh Hasina, however, said that it was important that countries show magnanimity, when asked about incidents of attacks on the Hindu minority population.<\/p>\n
“I think that both the country should show their magnanimity and our part, you know Bangladesh is a secular country and we have many religions here. And the religion harmony is here, very much. So one or two incident when it takes place immediately… especially my party… my party people, they are very much, conscious about it and also my government. We immediately take action,” she said.<\/p>\n
Asked to comment on the role of the radical community of bloggers and others on social media, Sheikh Hasina said that it is not desirable that people write things to hurt each other and added that her government tried to curb any such activity.<\/p>\n
“Look extremism is everywhere. Even in India or other countries if you see in the world, there are many countries you can find it out. So because of social media it has become very… very bad nowadays. Some people sometimes write something. Even sometimes it’s not the bloggers but even other religion or so… Sometimes they write and then immediately people they come, but we have been trying our best to control it. We never support that. Each and every religion, they have their right to perform their religion properly, and one should not say such a thing that will hurt the other religion,” she said.<\/p>\n
Last month, responding to incidents of violence in some parts of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, while addressing the minority Hindus, had said that they had the same rights as her. She made the comments on the occasion of Janmashtami.<\/p>\n
Earlier, there were reports from southwestern Bangladesh that temples, shops, and houses of Hindus were vandalised.<\/p>\n
Sheikh Hasina told the news agency, that while some incidents occurred, Bangladesh has a tradition where people of all religions take part in all celebrations.<\/p>\n
“We all, together we celebrate… As a cultural event, even you can see in Bangladesh, during Durga Puja. So many places, we have Durga Puja and people celebrate all together. So the religion harmony is there but now some… here and there some incidents happen but our government immediately takes action against it,” the premier said.<\/p>\n
Asked about the prevalence of cattle-smuggling from India into Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina said the issue was under discussion and the magnitude of the problem had also been reduced a lot.<\/p>\n
“But still sometimes some incident takes place. So we discuss with India that they should show some patience and this cattle trafficking. Already you know nowadays in our country, now we don’t depend on Indian cow much. We are growing our own, you know, cattle here because we need it. But some border smuggling takes place. So the two sides, the border forces, they are sitting together. Any incident happen, they hold the flag meetings, they discuss. So yes, we’ll say the assurance that it will reduce so it should not take place,” she said.<\/p>\n
Sheikh Hasina is set to visit India on a key bilateral visit on Monday.<\/p>\n
Her four-day India visit is being seen in both countries as an opportunity to further enhance the time-tested cooperation between the two fastest growing South Asian economies.<\/p>\n
It is expected that the Prime Minister would also discuss defence cooperation and regional stability with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
PM lauds Modi for Vaccine Maitri programme, calls India \u2018tested friend\u2019<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina lauded her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi led initiative towards rescuing students of her country who were stuck in eastern Europe following the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.<\/p>\n
In a free-wheeling television interaction with South Asia\u2019s leading multimedia news agency ANI, Sheikh Hasina, who is set to visit India on Monday, also lavished praise on the Modi government’s gesture of providing Covid-19 vaccines to neighbouring countries under its Vaccine Maitri programme when the pandemic was fast-spreading.<\/p>\n
She emphasized on closer cooperation between the two next door neighbours.<\/p>\n
There can be differences but these should be addressed through dialogue, she said adding that in a number of areas, India and Bangladesh had precisely done that.<\/p>\n
She, however, marked out two areas for special praise where the Indian government’s support helped Bangladeshi citizens. One of these was the evacuation of Bangladesh students, who like many Indians, were stuck in Ukraine and its neighbouring countries after the outbreak of the conflict.<\/p>\n
“I really would like to express my thanks to the Prime Minister that during this war between Russia and Ukraine, many of our students were just stuck and they came to Poland to shelter. But when you evacuate your students, Indian students, they also brought our students back home. So it is really… You have shown a clearly friendly gesture. I thank the Prime Minister for this initiative,” Sheikh Hasina said.<\/p>\n
She was responding to a question about remarks often made especially by western observers that there was a lack of cooperation among SAARC nations.<\/p>\n
To another question about the Indian government’s Vaccine Maitri programme, Sheikh Hasina said it was a very “prudent” initiative taken by Prime Minister Modi.<\/p>\n
“I really thank Prime Minister Modi for this initiative, and that way he… you know, contributed vaccines to not only Bangladesh, also some south Asian countries, and it’s really very very helpful. And it’s a really prudent initiative he has taken, and besides that we bought vaccines with our own money, and also many other countries also contributed,” Hasina said.<\/p>\n
Sheikh Hasina also gave details about her country’s vaccination programme. Bangladesh has administered Covid-19 vaccines to 90 per cent of its population.<\/p>\n
“Usually, you know, people from our country, especially the village level, even in some towns also, I found many people very much reluctant to take vaccine. They don’t want to take the… you know… the pinch of needle or ‘sui nai lena hai’ so… but we have to pursue them. We told them that this is nothing but it will save your life. So that way we engaged everybody, so that they make people… so it was really very good initiative, this Vaccine Maitri itself… very good initiative. I really support,” she said.<\/p>\n
Sheikh Hasina referred to India as a “tested” friend and said that the country had stood by Bangladesh in its hour of need, first in 1971 and then at later times also.<\/p>\n
“We always remember their contribution during our 1971 war. And besides that even 1975, when we lost all my family members. So, the then Prime Minister, she gave us shelter in India. Besides that, you see, these two countries, we are neighbours, close neighbours and I always give importance and priority to friendship with our neighbouring countries,” she said.<\/p>\n
The relationship between the two countries should be for the betterment of their citizens, she said.<\/p>\n
Sheikh Hasina said even during the Covid-19 period, Indian leadership had shown their positive intentions as both, the then President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Bangladesh as it celebrated its Independence Day.<\/p>\n
“I really thank Prime Minister Modi and also your honourable president. Both of them visited Bangladesh when we were celebrating our father of the nation birth centenary and also our independence, 50 years of our Independence Day, and our friendship with India. India recognised Bangladesh early on, so that bonding, I think that is our main priority. That their visit at such a time, even that time there was a Covid-19 pandemic but beside that both of them honoured us, honoured our people,” she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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