Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged regional leaders to come together to build a peaceful and prosperous South Asia as Bangladesh celebrates the historic occasions of the birth centenary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the golden jubilee of its independence.
The Bangladesh leader made the call during a 10-day event marking the double milestone at the National Parade Ground on Wednesday, reports bdnews24.com.
"On the auspicious occasions of the birth centenary of the Father of the Nation and the golden jubilee of independence, I call on South Asia's political leaders and policymakers to work together to build a peaceful and prosperous South Asia," she said.
Bangladesh is celebrating the momentous occasions at a time when the party that led the great Liberation War, the Awami League, is in government, headed by Hasina, the eldest daughter of the Father of the Nation.
The heads of state and government of five neighbouring countries are participating in the celebration of Bengalis. Bhutan's Prime Minister Lotay Tshering joined as the guest of honour on the eighth day of the event on Wednesday.
Highlighting the huge population of South Asia, Hasina in her speech said, “As much as there are problems in the region, there is a lot of potential. The people of our region have unparalleled vitality, innovation and the ability to survive natural disasters. We can easily improve the lives of the people of South Asia by utilising the resources we have gained through mutual cooperation."
"If we work together for the betterment of our people, South Asia will surely become one of the most prosperous regions in the world. We have faith in this.”
Enlarging on her father Bangabandhu's dreams and aspirations, Hasina said he did not only fight for the political and economic emancipation of the people of Bangladesh but he also dreamed of liberating all the oppressed and deprived people of the world. He was respectful of peaceful co-existence and territorial integrity and believed that any problem could be solved through mutual cooperation, according to the Awami League chief.
The prime minister said the government was working 'relentlessly' to realise Bangabandhu's dream of hunger- and poverty-free, non-communal 'Golden Bengal', while outlining her vision of Bangladesh standing tall on the world stage as an upper-middle-income country by 2031 and as a developed and prosperous country by 2041.
Addressing the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Bhutan, Hasina said cooperation between the two nations in trade, communication, tourism, education and other sectors is continuously increasing. A significant number of Bhutanese students are pursuing higher education in various universities in Bangladesh, including medicine.
“Today, our honoured guest Dr Lotay Tshering graduated in medicine from Mymensingh Medical College. So he is not only from Bhutan but also represents Bangladesh. That is how we see him and we are very proud of that.”