Dhaka: Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon said Saturday that conspiracy was on to destabilize the country following the announcement of the death verdict of two war criminals.

‘It is the responsibility of all political parties to ensure safety and security of citizens. It is not the responsibility of the government alone. The violence that was initiated at the beginning of the year had been firmly dealt with by the government. The recent killing of foreigners was part of that trend. It is part of a conspiracy to destabilize the nation,’ he said.

The minister was speaking at a meeting at the CIRDAP auditorium to celebrate the 146^th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and also to observe the World Non-violence Day. The function was organized by the Gandhi Ashram Trust.

The function was chaired by eminent economist Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, while the keynote speaker was Advocate Sultana Kamal. Others who spoke at the function included Ambassador of the European Union, Pierre Mayaudon, representative of the Indian high commission, S Desh Pandey, Journalist Abul Maksud and the secretary of the Ashram, Jharna Dhara Roy Chowdhury.

The minister also said that Mahatma Gandhi’s message of non-violence was universal.