The Sri Lanka crisis won’t replicate in Bangladesh because the country is armed with a forex reserve of over $40 billion. To protect the poor, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has promulgated several schemes to provide food for the poor and pensions for the old and widows. To spread the light of education, textbooks and study materials are distributed free of cost to primary to secondary school students on the first day of the academic year. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman freed the Bengali nation from the shackles of subjugation. Bangabandhu’s Sonar Bangla dream will be fulfilled by Sheikh Hasina … writes Matiar Chowdhury
Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman freed the Bengali nation from the shackles of subjugation. His daughter Sheikh Hasina is working tirelessly to build Bangabandhu’s dream of Sonar Bangla. Bangabandhu spent most of his life in prison for the sake of the country and the nation, he wanted an independent sovereign non-communal Bangladesh. So in 1971, the people of the country responded to his call and jumped into the liberation war. Nine months of bloody war, the sacrifice of three million martyrs and the freedom gained.
Bangabandhu dreamed of a prosperous Golden Bengal. When he was freed from Pakistani prison and took charge of running the country, the coffers of the country were empty. Pakistanis drain the country till its last drop. During 1972-1975, Sheikh Mujib took the country forward a long way. But the forces of evil have another agenda to derail the country’s progress. On August 15, 1975, the father of the nation was killed along with his family. The progress of the country was stopped.
Anti-independence activists want to take the country back to Pakistani ideology. National slogans were changed, and communal groups emerged. It has been a long 21 years of trying to bring the country back to the Pakistani way of thinking. The Ziaur Rahman Indemnity Ordinance stopped the trial of Bangabandhu’s murder in Jarikere, and the national flag of the country was handed over to the anti-independence Rajakars by repatriation. Bangabandhu’s murderers were rewarded with jobs in various embassies. Prosecution of war criminals was stopped.
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In 1975, Sheikh Hasina survived because she was out of the country. God has kept Sheikh Hasina alive to fulfil the dream of the father of the nation. When she returned to the country, there was hope in the minds of the common people. Attempts have been made to kill her 99 times since she returned to the country. She miraculously survived each time. In 2004, during the then Jamaat-BNP four-party coalition government, a grenade attack was carried out on her with the government’s direct support.
Militants appeared in the country with the help of the government during the four-party coalition government. Afghan returnee militants formed numerous terror organisations in the country, such as Ansarullah Bangla Team, and JMB.
Since 2008, after Sheikh Hasina assumed power, the face of the country has changed. First, she took the initiative of de-militancy, her policy of zero tolerance to suppress militancy. The development of the country started happening. The country’s GDP continues to grow. While developing countries are struggling, Bangladesh’s GDP is 6.7%. Its diplomatic relations with every country in the world are strengthened. When she overcame all obstacles and took up development projects and mega projects one after the other, the opposition continued to spread negative stories.
Currently, the foreign exchange reserves are more than $40 billion. The government has launched several welfare schemes. There are special schemes to provide food for the poor; pensions for widows and old age people. To spread the light of education, books are distributed free of cost from primary to secondary school on the first day of the year. So that no one remains homeless and sheltered, paved houses with land are introduced across the country. This year two lakh families were given houses in the country. Women are enjoying equal rights in every sector under this special project of empowering women. The country continues to develop even during Covid-19.
Sheikh Hasina has ensured the freedom of the press. She guaranteed 100% electricity in the country. When Pakistan and Sri Lanka withered under the pressure of global economic conditions, Bangladesh ensure normalcy at gas stations. The foreign trade broke records.
Bangladesh’s exports increased by more than 34% to $52.08 billion in the fiscal year 2021–2022 (July 2021-June 2022). The Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), which is part of the Ministry of Commerce, revealed that Bangladesh had the greatest export earnings for the fiscal year 2021–2022, with strong income growth in the last months. “In the 2021-22 fiscal year, exports reached $52,082.66 million, setting a new record,” said the EPB.
The nation’s entire export earnings in the previous fiscal year exceeded the objective of $43.50 billion with June’s export earnings of $4.91 billion, an increase of 37.19% over the same month a year prior. In the fiscal year 2020–21 (July 2020–June 2021), Bangladesh’s export revenue was estimated at $38.76 billion. As usual, the demand for ready-made clothing was mostly responsible for the growth in the 2021–22 fiscal year.
When the country is witnessing Sheikh Hasina overcoming all the obstacles and launching new development programs after another, some anti-national elements are engaged in misinformation. Bangladeshis are mature enough to ignore these negative campaigns against one of the most powerful politicians in the subcontinent. Bangladesh is back on track to becoming an Asian giant and nothing can stop that progress.
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