Dhaka: Awami League central leader and former home minister Mohammad Nasim Friday urged the people to give their mandate in favour of his party once again for the sake of continuation of the country's progress.

"Even in a country like the United States, President Barack Obama also sought people's support again to elect him in the helm of state affairs for the second term. Please give us another scope. We will be able to fulfill expectations of all," he made a fervent appeal to the people while speaking as the chief guest at a discussion in the city.

Bangabandhu Peshajibi Samannoy Parishad organised the discussion on the occasion of unveiling ceremony of the book "World Leader Sheikh Hasina and today's Bangladesh" at the National Press Club in the capital.

President of the Parishad Zahir Uddin Mobu presided over the function, also addressed, among others, by Dhaka City Awami League general secretary Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya (Bir Bikram), Awami League labour affairs secretary Habibur Rahman Siraj, Awami Swechchasebak League president Advocate Mollah Md Abu Kowsar, Krishak League general secretary Advocate Shamsul Huq Reza and Dhaka City AL publicity secretary Abdul Huq Sabuj.

Mohammad Nasim said, "It's next to an impossible task to fulfil all the expectations of people within five years in power.

Despite that the government has been hard to resolve the electricity crisis soon."

He said that Bangladesh recorded the fifth position regarding economic growth despite facing the world economic meltdown. "The country also has scored a record success in food output. The farmers are no more required to lay down their lives of shootouts now for fertilizers," Nasim added.

"BNP chairperson and opposition leader Begum Khaleda Zia will change the country by creating militants, terrorism and Hawa Bhaban once again if she assumes power. On the contrary, Awami League will stamp out militancy and terrorism to transform Bangladesh into a model country of peace in South Asia if elected to power again. Now it's up to the people to decide which party they will vote to power," the senior Awami League leader said.

Criticising the opposition leader's claim that her son Tarique Rahman is not involved in any sort of corruption, Nasim said, "You (Khaleda Zia) have given certificate of innocence (free of corruption) to one of your sons couple of days back and then the amount of money laundered by another son of yours had been returned from abroad. Seek apology to the people if you have any sense of shame."

On the contrary, he said although she has lost her parents in the 1975 carnage, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been working relentlessly for people's cause and she had taken risk of her life for completion of the Bangabandhu Killing Case while her government has initiated the war crimes trial though after a long period.

The former Home Minister blamed Khaleda Zia of patronizing publicly the war criminals to foil their trial and said that she had earlier inducted many war criminals as her cabinet members and MPs through state sponsorship while the credit for emergence of militancy throughout the country goes to her.

Nasim categorically said, "Khaleda Zia will not be benefited whatever might be her move. The trial of the war criminals will surely be held in the sacred soil of Bangladesh at any cost."

Ends/AMA/23/11/12