In response to BNP’s calls for releasing jailed party chief Khaleda Zia, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said that she ‘just can’t break her out from prison’.
Her remarks came while taking questions from the media on Wednesday during news conference meant to brief on her official visit to India last week.
A former PM, Khaleda has been sentenced to five years for embezzling foreign donations made to the Zia Orphanage Trust. She is serving her term at the old jailhouse on Nazimuddin Road since Feb 8.
She has secured bail in the case, but has been shown arrest in several others cases, including for the bus arson in Cumilla.
On Monday, the High Court granted her bail in the violence cases in Cumilla, but the chamber judge froze it for six months.
Speaking at the media call at her official residence the Ganabhaban, Hasina said the court will decide the BNP chief’s fate.
“Should I break her out from prison? If they want her release, then let them seek presidential clemency,” said ruling Awami League chief Hasina.
She made it clear that the national election will be held in line with the constitution. “I will not administer the polls, but the Election Commission will.”
Referring to the BNP-led coalition, which enforced a countrywide blockade during the 2014 election, Hasina said, “Why wail for those, who had resorted to violence to stop the polls?”
Tough line on drugs
Amid criticism from rights groups and rivals on the deaths during the crackdown on drugs, Hasina vowed to continue it.
“Drugs are like a disease for the society. You have been vocal against it,” she told journalists before adding, “And now you are judging the raids. Don’t you want it to continue?”
Claiming no innocent person was victimised in the drive, the prime minister said, “Show me a single example… We’ll definitely take steps.”
Renewing her pledge to toughen the drive, she said, “Nobody will be spared however influential they may be.”
“India will never forget”
On the bilateral relations with the neighbouring country, Hasina said India should be eternally grateful for what Bangladesh has done for it.
“We have returned them peace when violence was an everyday affair,” she said.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said that India will “remember forever what we have done for them.”
Speaking at a news conference on Wednesday she said that the county should be eternally gratefully.
“We have returned them peace when violence was an everyday affair,” said Hasina adding Dhaka does not expect Delhi to return the favour.
Replying to a query on Indian media reports suggesting she wanted Modi to 'reciprocate the favour’, the prime minister replied: “I don’t want anything in return. And what’s there to return? Besides that, I have the habit of giving rather than taking.”
Teesta water deal
Hasina made it clear that she is not waiting for India’s assurance on the water sharing deal and has opened measures to address the water issue.
“I don’t rely on anybody on anything. I am working on our water system, which includes dredging rivers, building reservoir and ponds, so that we can preserve water,” she said.
On India’s assurance of signing the deal, she said, “They made a commitment and so wait for it. And is it like that, we can’t manage without water for them? We are working on our own. We are trying to solve water crisis by ourselves.”
Referring Indian foreign minister’s recent remarks that they were considering West Bengal’s alternative proposal of sharing waters of four other rivers, the prime minister said, “We don’t need to know that now. That’s their internal issue and let it be like that. If you want to know, ask them.”
Asked whether Teesta was discussed during her talks, she said “all bilateral issues” were part of the parley.
“Let’s not comment further,” she said when the media asked for her reaction to Modi’s recent comments that he hoped the deal would be signed during the term of the two governments.
“There can be bitterness among neighbours. But I don’t want to say anything that can create bitterness,” she added.
Hasina said her purpose of the recent visit was to to inaugurate Bangladesh Bhaban at Viswa Bharati University. “So I concentrated on that. There’s the Joint River Commission and Teesta is being discussed there.”
India’s assurance on pressuring Myanmar
India has assured Bangladesh that it would pressure Myanmar on the Rohingya issue, says Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
“We discussed about Rohingya issue. You know the Indian government is providing enough aid for them. India assured of mounting pressure on Myanmar,” Hasina said.
Bangladesh is now home to over 1.1 million Rohingyas after some 7000,000 had to flee from Rakhine due to a military crackdown that started on Aug 25 last year.