Dhaka: Terrorists and violent extremists cannot stop Bangladesh from its charted course of development, says Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali.

The Foreign Minister also urged parents, teachers and youths to work together in materialising the dream of Sonar Bangla as envisioned by the Father of the Nation, reports UNB.

He was addressing the closing ceremony of Bangladesh University of Professionals Model United Nations Conference (BUPMUN) 2016 at its Bijoy auditorium.

BUP Vice-chancellor Maj Gen Sheikh Mamun Khaled attended the conference titled ‘Engaging Youth through Inclusive Education to Attain Sustainable Development’ as a special guest.

As Bangladesh moves up the ladder of development and socio-economic progress, attempts are being made through unleashing terrorism and violent extremism to destroy the achievements and successes in Millennium Development Goals, said the Foreign Minister.

He said as Bangladesh is marching ahead under the leadership of Bangabandhu’s daughter- Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and has already become a role model for the developing as well as the developed world in many areas, youths are being misguided in the name of Islam.

‘In a totally wrong and destructive interpretation of Islam, youths are being made into enemies of their own nation as well as of Islam,’ said the Foreign Minister.

‘Together we’ll defeat these obscurantists and anti-liberation forces once again and realise our dream of a secular, democratic, inclusive, vibrant and modern society based on science and technology,’ he added.

Mahmood Ali said it is essential to advise the youth and guide them towards Bangladesh’s history, tradition, language, literature, music and also the true philosophy of Islam which is peace for the individual, the society and the entire humanity.

He said the youth of Bangladesh have always responded to the call of the motherland—be it for the mother language, nation building and development process, democratic movements or natural calamities— in fact whenever the motherland beckoned.

‘Our youths and everybody else finally responded to the clarion call of the Father of the Nation to fight for the liberation of Bangladesh in 1971 and made the supreme sacrifices,’ said the Foreign Minister.