Maintain peace in hill districts: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today laid emphasis on maintaining a peaceful atmosphere in the hill tracts of the country.

"Make it sure peace prevails there [in hills]... we do want that. All must maintain a congenial atmosphere. This is not important who is Pahari (indigenous) and who is Bangalee," she said.

She said this while speaking with a cross-section of people of Bandarban district through a video conference after unveiling the results of SSC and equivalent examinations at her official residence Gano Bhaban.

The prime minister said all have to be treated as human being. "Human is human...we have to treat human as human being," she said.

Sheikh Hasina mentioned that all human have the basic rights to enjoy. "We've to fulfill that right of people."

On Friday, five people were gunned down and eight others suffered bullet wounds in an attack by some miscreants at Betchari in Naniarchar upazila of Rangamati.

They came under the gun attack while returning from the funeral programme of slain Naniarchar upazila chairman Shaktiman Chakma.

Advocate Shaktiman Chakma, 55, also a leader of Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samity (MN Larma faction), and chairman of Naniarchar upazila, was shot dead by unidentified miscreants in front of the upazila parishad complex on Thursday.

Hasina said the government gives the highest importance to education as Bangladesh could only be established as a poverty and hunger-free country when cent percent of its population would be educated.

She urged the students to be more attentive to their regular studies and develop themselves as qualified citizens of the country saying that today's students will have to lead the nation in the future.

Hasina called upon all to remain aware so that the country's hard-earned independence achieved in exchange of blood of millions of martyrs does not go in vain.

The prime minister expressed satisfaction as Bangladesh has graduated to a developing country and hoped that the country will soon be a developed and prosperous one.

Hasina congratulated the students who passed the examination and requested the guardians of those who could not come out successful to encourage them so that they can succeed next time.

While talking to people in Barisal, she said, the region will no longer fall behind and as her government has taken steps to ensure balanced development of the entire Barisal region.

Steps have been taken to connect Barisal with rail network, while efforts are on to grow paddy and other crops tolerant to salinity, she said.

Talking to people in Bandarban, Hasina said the government is building residential educational institutions there to make education facilities available alongside developing improved communications to ensure a better living condition.