Online Desk:  Awami League (AL) General Secretary Obaidul Quader today said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s participation at Munich Security Conference has reflected the importance of Bangladesh.

He made the remark at a press conference at the AL president’s Dhanmondi political office here this afternoon.

Quader, also the road transport and bridges minister, said a general election was held in Bangladesh and a section of the world was also critical of this election.

“Despite that, even in this crisis still today, invitation to Bangladesh and participating in the important sessions on sensitive issues like security upheld the importance of Bangladesh, where Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina delivered her bold speech against war and in favour of peace,” he said.

The AL general secretary claimed that her most powerful statement -which no leader dared to say before-was ‘Stop Genocide in Gaza’. “Here we saw Sheikh Hasina’s courageous diplomacy.”

Responding to a statement of BNP leaders that the ruling AL has hit the ideology and sovereignty of the country, he said no wise politician can say such things as it is nothing but an incoherent delirium.

He said falsehood is eternal in BNP politics and this is a continuation of their usual lying.
About BNP’s allegation that the government has failed to control the price hike of the essential commodities, Quader said the BNP has nothing more to say as it has no involvement of people and workers.

He said the prices of some goods have increased, while the prices of some others are decreasing and the market fluctuations are always there.

The government has not shown any indifference as commodity prices are going up in global context, the road transport and bridges minister said.

He said the government is doing everything possible to check price hike of essential commodities.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir started repeating the same drama after walking out of jail, he said, “I am hearing echoes of his same statement.

Now they are saying that they will turn around again. So the question is – we don’t know where they turned and where they will turn.”

The AL general secretary said the country’s people have voted willingly for Bangabandhu’s daughter Sheikh Hasina. BNP thought that it would be able to resist the election but its dream turned into a nightmare, he added.

On the Myanmar issue, Quader said the government is observing the Myanmar situation through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as per the directives of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

There government is working with intelligent diplomacy for peace by avoiding war, he said.
About air pollution of Dhaka city, the minister said the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is working hard to check air pollution.

He said the government has already taken some steps to this end.

AL organising secretaries BM Mozammel Haque, Mirza Azam, SM Kamal Hossain and Sujit Roy Nandi, office secretary Biplab Barua, publicity and publication secretary Dr Abdus Sobhan Golap, Deputy Office Secretary Sayem Khan and central committee member Marufa Akter Poppy were, among others, present.