DHAKA, -Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today 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.

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 modernizing 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.

Recalling the contributing of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to rebuilding the war-ravaged country and taking pragmatic measures for development in only three and a half years of time, she said
that the country is advancing toward development following the footsteps and ideals of Bangabandhu.

Talking about visionary leadership of Bangabandhu, she said the United Nations (UN) formulated the sea boundary law in 1982 while Bangabandhu enacted it in 1974.

She hoped that the country will be free from poverty and hunger when it will observe the birth centennial of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 2020 and the Golden Jubilee of the Independence in 2021.

Both the events will be celebrated with a huge canvas across the country, she mentioned. The GDP growth rate is forecasted to be 8.13 percent this year while the per capita income will be $ 1909 from $ 1751, she said, adding that her government has been relentlessly working and formulating plans to give the future generation even those who would celebrate centennial of the Independence in 2071 a bright future.

Delta Plan-2021 has already been formulated to this respect, she continued. She said that there are lots of proposals of foreign investments as huge works are being carried out for the country’s overall development particularly for infrastructural development.

As many as 100 economic zones are now being set up across the country which will attract more foreign and local investments to accelerate the country’s development, she added.