Staff Correspondent

President Mohammed Shahabuddin on Saturday said the defeated evil forces of foreign masters still continue to make efforts to tarnish the achievements of the country even after 53 years of independence.

He said while addressing the eighth council of the Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in Dhaka.

“After winning the sanguinary nine-month war under the leadership of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, we forgot the torture, exploitation, and deprivation of the past, but the anti-independence forces could not forget the despair of their defeat,” he said.

The president also said the evil quarters are engaged in various conspiracies against the country and freedom and have joined hands with foreign evil forces to destabilize the spirit of the Liberation War.

Mentioning the killing of Bangabandhu along with his family on 15 August 1975 by the defeated forces of the Liberation War as part of a domestic-foreign conspiracy, he said, “We could not save the Father of the Nation. It is our unforgivable failure as a nation.”

President Shahabuddin said the anti-independence faction embarked on a series of conspiracies to destroy the spirit of the Liberation War and independence to erase the principles and ideals of Bangabandhu after coming to power and took shameful steps to distort the history of the Liberation War and independence.

“Whenever they get a chance, they want to strike like a poisonous snake. They do not believe in the development, democracy of the country, human rights, and tolerance.”

He added that they want to use the country and the people for the benefit of their own and their local and foreign masters.

The president urged all to build all-out resistance against the defeated forces of 1971 in order to continue the current spree of development and keep the country's independence and sovereignty intact.

There is no alternative to the strong unity of all the pro-liberation forces, he said, adding all must work for the interests of the country and the people forgetting the interests of individuals and groups.

He said those quarters who spread negative propaganda about Bangladesh, mainly want to hinder the development journey.

Stressing the need for strengthening social bonds between religious and ethnic communities, he said any form of discrimination against citizens is against the rule of law.

“It must be remembered that awareness, humanity, human rights and respect for the beliefs and lifestyles of others strengthen social bonds among different groups of society.”

The president urged the government as well as the civil society to play an effective role in ensuring that no one is discriminated against regardless of religion, caste or community.