Dhaka: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday said the people of the country do not want to see the party of killers, war criminals, anti-liberation forces and arson terrorists in power again as they will only destroy the country.

‘No one of us wants to see them in power as they’ll just destroy the country if they can manage to return to power. We don’t want to go back to the path of destruction; we want to take the path of prosperity,’ she said, reports the UNB.

The Prime Minister said this while speaking at a programme at her official residence Ganobhaban where some 307 retired senior public servants, including former chairmen of different commissions, senior secretaries and secretaries, expressed their solidarity with the pro-liberation forces under the leadership of Awami League.

Sheikh Hasina said no one wants to see the country to go through the horrible days like that of 2014 when the BNP-Jamaat clique unleashed a reign of terror through arson attacks and burning people alive. ‘The people of Bangladesh don’t want the arson attack, Bangla Bhai, militancy, money-laundering, corruption, drugs, arms and terrorist activities any longer,’ she said.

She said the government wants a free and neutral election in the country. ‘To make that happen, I agreed to hold dialogue when other parties wanted to hold talks although I experienced a lot of humiliation from them. We want all the parties to participate in the coming election.’

The Prime Minister said the government worked in the last 10 years for the development of the country and its people. ‘If they cast their votes in favour of us being happy with our development activities, we’ll come to power again, or else not.’

She said all the pro-liberation forces should remind people about the development activities carried out by the present government. ‘It’s not like that we’ve done a lot for the people and they’ll cast their votes for us. We’ve to remind them always of our development activities.’

Hasina said the government is implementing numerous development projects for people’s welfare and mentioning the Vision 2021, Vision 2041 and Delta Plan 2100 in this regard. ‘We’ve taken mega plans. If people want that those projects to be implemented, they’ve to cast their votes for AL. Otherwise, we’ve nothing to do.’

She said if Awami League cannot form the next government through the forthcoming general election, it will not be possible to complete the ongoing development projects. ‘Others won’t complete those as they don’t believe in the independence of the country. They don’t want Bangladesh and its people to move forward.’

The Prime Minister said Awami League wants to change people’s fate for which the continuation of the government is needed. ‘We want to build the country as Golden Bangla as dreamt by the Father of the Nation imbued with the spirit of the independence and Liberation War,’ she said.

Valiant freedom fighter Abu Taher of BCS 73 batch, former secretaries, including SM Ali, former DGHS Director General Dr Deen Mohammad, agriculturist Wasiuzzaman Akand and former Ambassador Abdul Hannan also spoke on the occasion.

In his welcome address, former Principal Secretary Dr Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury said the retired officials were expressing spontaneous support to and solidarity with the pro-liberation forces, led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

They all came to express full solidarity and support to the government of Sheikh Hasina as well as be part of the development and progress of Bangladesh, he said.

Dr Kamal Naser Chowdhury said there is no alternative to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for maintaining the country’s pace of development and advancement.

He said the retired senior officials believe that establishment of a society with cordiality as well as a developed and prosperous Bangladesh is possible only by Sheikh Hasina.

About the next general election, the former Principal Secretary said the retired officials also believe that the most traditional political party, Awami League, having faith in the spirit of the Liberation War will surely come out successful.

Former ACC Chairman M Badiuzzaman, former Chairman of Energy Regulatory Commission AR Khan, former Chairman of Privatisation Commission Mollah Wahiduzzaman, ex-Comptroller and Auditor General of Bangladesh Masud Ahmed, former Senior Secretaries Mezbah-ul Alam and Unusur Rahman are among 57 retired senior officials who expressed their solidarity.

Besides, 250 more former officials of different cadres of the civil services, including Police, Income Tax, Information, Post, Education and Health, and former members of the BCS Administration extended their solidarity with the government of Sheikh Hasina.

Nine former ambassadors, 75 former additional and joint secretaries, 10 former officials of BCS Police as well as 14 former members of BCS Health, 14 from BCS Education, 27 engineers and 11 BCS Information and Income Tax officials are among those who expressed solidarity today.