Hefazat mayhem crosses all levels of tolerance: Quader

Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader on Wednesday said extreme communal force Hefazat-e-Islam is continuously carrying out mayhem in different parts of the country, which has crossed all levels of tolerance.

“Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government is committed to protect the lives and properties of the people. By preparing a list of instigators of terrorism, anarchy and communal forces, those would be dealt with politically,” he told a press conference at his official residence here.

Quader, also the road transport and bridges minister, said there is a limit to the patience and tolerance of the country’s people and the exceeding of limit will bring a dire consequence. He said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina restored democracy in the country by making people united after the killing of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975.

Sheikh Hasina brought war criminals under trial, while she made the nation free from stigma by completing the trial of Bangabandhu killing case, and has made Bangladesh one of the developing countries with a strong economy, he said.

The AL general secretary said the people of Bangladesh are religious but they do not support any fanaticism. “Do not play with fire. If you play with fire, you will burn your hands in the fire,” he added.

He said arson attacks were carried out at public and private offices in different parts of the country, while land deeds and other important land records were burned to ashes at many land offices.

Quader said, those involved in these wrongdoings will be identified and legal actions will be taken against them. BNP-Jamaat tried to grab the state power by creating anarchy in the country with arson terrorism in 2013-14, he said.

“Do not break the barrier of our patience. The nation will no longer tolerate the disregard of the spirit of the Liberation War and the dishonour of Bangabandhu. Awami League activists will answer to those who have attacked Bangabandhu’s pictures and sculptures,” he added.

Calling upon the pro-liberation forces to get united under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the AL general secretary said the evil forces must be resisted and defeated at any cost.

About plying of public transport amid the ongoing countrywide lockdown, he said the government took the decision to allow plying of public transport in divisional cities, including Dhaka, considering the public interest.

The minister said responding to the public demand, the government has taken this decision to cut their sufferings and there is no way to create confusion to this end. Some people have been spreading propaganda and misleading information about resumption of long distance bus service, but it is not true at all, Quader added.