A Correspondent:
Bhola: Speaker Major (retd) Hafiz Uddin Ahmad on Monday said Bangladesh wants a friendly relationship with India based on mutual respect, good-neighboring and equality.
“We want such a kind of friendly and equal relationship that should exist between two sovereign countries,” he told journalists after a meeting with officials of the district administration at the Bhola Circuit House in the morning.
The Speaker said the country suffered extensive damage in almost every sector and at every level during what he described as 17 years of Awami League rule.
“The previous government’s illegal activities brought the country almost to the brink of destruction,” he said, adding that it will take time to overcome the situation and put the country back on the path of development.
“Seven months is too short for this,” Hafiz Uddin said.
He said the reform process has already started, although major legal steps have yet to be taken. “I believe the reform process has already begun. We need to make a number of changes, particularly to the laws and regulations,” he said.
The Speaker also expressed hope that the BNP, which he described as the country’s major popular political party, and the opposition parties will reach a consensus on the reform proposals in the next session of Parliament.
“The reform process has not yet formally started from a legal standpoint. If the government and the opposition can reach an agreement on the reform proposals in the next session of Parliament and move quickly to implement them, including making the necessary changes to the laws, the people will be able to break free from the misrule of the past 17 years,” he said.
Later, the Speaker was given a guard of honour before leaving Bhola for Dhaka at the end of his four-day visit.
