Dhaka, Aug 1 (Agencies): Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday said the country has faced militancy disguised as an anti-quota movement protest.
Emphasising that Bangladesh would not tolerate terrorism and militancy, Hasina sought UN cooperation, Dhaka Tribune reported.
PM Hasina said the main organisations supporting the movement, Jamaat-e-Islam and Shibir, are banned under Section 18 of the Anti-Terrorism Act 2009.
The Bangladesh Krishak League (BKL) organised a voluntary blood donation camp ahead of National Mourning Day observed on August 15, to commemorate the assassination of Sheikh Hasina’s father and then president Mujibur Rahman and several members of his family on this day in 1975.
Hasina alerted the Bangladeshi nationals that the right-wing fundamentalist groups Jamaat and Shibir would go underground and continue their violent and destructive acts even after getting banned.
The PM said she was aware of the threats to her life. “I am committed to doing whatever is necessary for the well-being of the people,” she said.
Referring to the casualties and damages caused by the protest, she remarked that the true nature of the militants has been revealed under the garb of the ongoing quota protest.
PM recalled the tragic August 15, 1975, incident and said she knows the pain of losing near and dear ones as she lost everything. The Prime Minister also asked the UN to send their experts to probe every aspect of the matter.
