DHAKA, Feb 11, 2024 (BSS) - State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat today said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had changed Bangladesh's status in the global stage with her courageous actions like exposing to justice 1971 war criminals and constructing Padma Bridge in the past 15 years.

"Bangabandhu's daughter has changed our status in the global stage in the last 15 years," he said taking part in the discussion on thanksgiving motion on the President's speech at the Jatiya Sangsad here with Deputy Speaker Shamsul Haque Tuku in the chair.

Arafat added: "When Bangabandhu's daughter promised to hold the war criminals trials, how many people could believe it? . . . Many of us could not believe it. When she formed the tribunal, we expressed apprehension whether trial process would be started or not."

Finally, he said, when the trial judgments were delivered one after another, many people were in doubt if the verdicts could be executed as people from powerful countries were trying to obstruct their executions.

"But we witnessed that she kept her words that she made. Bangabandhu's daughter has kept her every single word since she took the oath of her office as the Prime Minister on January 6 in 2009."

Arafat said, subsequently, when the premier said cent percent people would be brought under electricity coverage, submarine cable would be installed under the sea, satellite and metro rail services would be launched and nuclear power plant would be installed, the people could not believe.

He said many people considered them ambitious and could not be implemented.

Arafat said when all these things became visible it appeared that these were not impossible ideas. "But can we assume that how many countries out of around 200 nations across globe have all the facilities," he said.

Identically, he said, when conspiracies were hatched to halt international lending for construction of the Padma Bridge, Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh would build the structure with own financing.

But, he said, most Bangladeshis could not believe it would be possible and "many like us who had some confidence too were a bit doubtful whether it could be done".
"Those of us who disbelieved her, proved ourselves fool," Arafat said.

He said all these infrastructures were tangible successes but the nation's main achievements with all these success stories was that it gained courage to move forward.

"All these have instilled into us a sense of courage to dream for intangible achievements (as well)," Arafat said.