Election will be held on time: Prime Minister

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said no dialogue or talks will be held with the killers.

On Tuesday, US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas has hoped that all parties will sit for a dialogue without preconditions in a bid to find out a way for free, fair and peaceful elections.

In responding to a question about the remark of Peter Haas, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said, “No dialogue or talks will be held with the killers. Dialogue with whom? Who is the opposition? Parliamentary rules have an explanation for opposition parties. Opposition parties are those parties that have elected representatives in the parliament. Outsiders are not opposition.  Does Biden hold a dialogue with Trump? If Biden holds a dialogue with Trump, we will do so”.

She also reaffirmed that the next national election will be held on due time and no one can stop it.

Addressing a press conference to brief the media at her official Ganabhaban residence about the outcome of her recently concluded visit to Brussels in Belgium from October 24-26 to attend Global Gateway Forum, the Prime Minister said the next national election will be held following the same procedure the country followed during the 2018 general polls.

Sheikh Hasina, also the president of ruling Awami League, castigated the recent terrorist activities of BNP in the name of movement, in which one police constable was brutally killed and other police personnel and 45 journalists were inhumanly tortured.

“They (BNP) also attacked the police hospital and killed people there like the Israeli (attack on Palestine),” she said, adding, “There is no difference between BNP and Israel as the brutality of the attack was the same.”

The Prime Minister said that BNP has proved again that it is a terrorist party by carrying out such large-scale terrorist activities.

She noted that the BNP doesn’t want an election, rather they want to create an unusual environment through terrorism. “They’re the terrorists,” she said, adding that they should be taught a lesson. 

She further said instruction has already been issued to arrest the culprits involved in the terror attacks.

Earlier, the Prime Minister in her written speech describes her Brussels visit as ‘very successful, saying, “The partnership with the European Union (EU) has reached a new height during the visit.” 

She said, “A new door has opened in terms of investment in Bangladesh's renewable energy, connectivity, education and research, digital infrastructure and medical treatment equipment manufacturing under the Global Gateway.”

The Prime Minister also said that Bangladesh's bilateral relations and the areas of cooperation with Belgium and Luxembourg will deepen and extended further.

She said Bangladesh has been assured of cooperation to continue the business facilities in the European Union during her Brussels visit.