Dhaka: United States once placed Bangladesh under pressure to keep an especial person on the post of managing director in bank and otherwise threatened to stop the World Bank’s financing in Padma Bridge construction project, Prime Minister Sheihk Hasina on Saturday came up with these complaints.

She made the remarks while addressing the Begum Zebunnesa and Kazi Mahbubullah Welfare Trust Award distribution function at the National Theatre of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in Dhaka.

‘Many senior US officials directly threatened me to stop finance in Padma Bridge if I didn’t keep a special person in Bangladesh at his bank’s managing director post,’ Sheikh Hasina said.

‘The special person lost the bank’s post by the court’s verdict. The government and people were not responsible for that,’ added the prime minister.

Sheikh Hasina also urged wealthy people to extend hands in flouring education in the country saying, ‘I would like to urge the affluent section (of society) to look at their own villages and extend their helping hands so that our poor and meritorious students could pursue higher education, go abroad and further shine the country’s image by obtaining higher degrees and contributing to the overall development.’  

She added, ‘The light of education from such initiatives would (also) help create mass awareness against all sorts of superstition, prejudice and religious extremism and militancy.’  

Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor was present at the function as the special guest, while chairman of the trust Zobaida M Latif presided over it. Eminent litterateur Selina Hossain addressed the function as the main speaker while donor member of the trust Begum Nilufar Zafarullah delivered the welcome address and read out a report on the activities of the trust.  

Emeritus Professor and former vice-chancellor of Dhaka University Professor AK Azad Chowdhury and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science and Technology University vice-chancellor Professor Khondakar Nasiruddin spoke on behalf of recipients of the award and the scholarship respectively.

Four distinguished personalities were honoured with Kazi Mahboobullah Award 2015 for their outstanding contributions to their respective fields.

They are Anisul Haque (literature and journalism), Professor Hasina Khan (science), Bangladesh cricket team captain Mashrafe Bin Martuza (sports) and Professor AK Azad Chowdhury (lifetime achievement).

On behalf of Mashrafe, his father Mostafa Martuza received the award as Mashrafe was in Khulna to play a cricket match against the touring Zimbabwe side.

The award carries a cheque for Taka one lakh, a crest, a citation and an ‘Uttaria’.

Begum Zebunnesa and Kazi Mahboobullah Jana Kalyan Trust introduced the award in 1978.