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Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday asked the law enforcers particularly the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) to ensure peace by maintaining law and order to further accelerate the country’s development.
“The country’s economic development will speed up if we can maintain a peaceful situation,” she said while addressing the 15th founding anniversary of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) at its headquarters at Kurmitola in the capital this morning, reports BSS.
Describing peace and stability as key to success in accelerating the country’s development, she said such a situation will boost foreign investment to further augment the pace of advancement.
The premier asked the law enforcers to perform their duties with professionalism, sincerity, dedication and honesty being imbued with patriotism.
She instructed them to maintain law and order strictly so that the people of the country can move and sleep safely.
She, however, asked the law enforcers to be compassionate and capture real criminals instead of innocent people and said, “The people who commit crime must be arrested whatever powerful they might be.”
But, keep in mind that no innocent person should be harassed, she added.
The premier directed the law enforcers to continue the drives against militancy and drug abuse to capture the culprits alongside taking various programmes to create social awareness as none can be involved in the menaces in the days to come.
She extended heartfelt greetings to the law enforcers particularly the RAB for containing militancy which had been able to earn global praise and requested all to build a social movement against abuse of drugs likewise against the militancy.
In this context, she said regional committees alongside with central one involving all particularly scholars of various religious organizations such as mosques and madrasas to raise a social awareness against the adverse impact of militancy which had brought a good result.
The premier stressed creating such awareness against abuse of drug as no young people can involve in taking drug alongside continuing the drives against all the people involved in drug peddling.
She highlighted her government initiatives for development and modernising the RAB.
A video of RAB’s success in the last year in containing militancy, drug abuse, and other criminal activities was also screened on the occasion.
At the event, she laid the foundation stones of three battalions of RAB (10, 13 and 14) after removing curtails.
RAB Director General (DG) Benazir Ahmed gave the welcome address while Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan spoke on the occasion while Additional DG (operation) Col Mohammad Jahangir Alam sought the premier’s permission to conclude the Darbar marking RAB’s 15th founding anniversary.
Ministers, PM’s advisers, parliament members and high civil and military officials were present at the function.
Earlier on her arrival at the venue, a smartly turned out contingent of the RAB gave her a guard of honour.
The premier praised RAB for making the Sundarbans, once a hub of terrorism, free from pirates as 328 pirates of 32 gangs have so far surrendered and said that her government is taking necessary measures such as giving financial assistance to help them to live normal lives.
She reiterated her assurance of taking measures to bring the anti-social elements to normal life upon their surrender.
In this context, she said her government has formed a task force to conduct crackdown on pirates.
Referring to the violence carried out by the BNP-Jamaat clique, she said that around 500 people were killed and over 3000 injured in arson attacks prior to the national polls in 2014.
But the election of 2018 was held in a peaceful manner as the law enforcers played an active role, she added.
Like the past, the prime minister said, the RAB members would effectively play their role in future to make the public life and property safe and secured being imbued with the spirit of the War of Liberation.