DHAKA, March 30, 2022: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said
Bangladesh didn’t vote against any country, but it stood for humanity in the
United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), clearing her country’s stance
regarding the issue.
“When there was vote against a country (Russia) we didn’t go for it, but
when, the issue of human rights appeared in the second proposal of UNGA,
Bangladesh voted in favour of it,” she said.
The premier said this in the Jatiya Sangsad here while replying to a
supplementary question from Jatiya Party lawmaker Md. Mujibul Haque of
Kishoreganj-3 regarding the vote against Russia in UNGA’s second proposal.
She said the Ukrainian people are facing sufferings, becoming refugees and
children are also sufferings due to the war.
“As the issue of human rights was involved, Bangladesh stood for it . . . It
is very clear and none should have confusion on it,” she added.
Sheikh Hasina said when the first proposal was tabled in the UNGA,
Bangladesh found that there was no issue of human rights, no initiative of
stopping the war and no other issues rather only vote against a country which
is Russia.
“To see it, I decided not to vote,” she said.
The prime minister, also the leader of the house, said the war didn’t begin
automatically; rather there might be someone who is provoking and forced to
begin the war.
She questioned why a single country would be condemned?
In this context, she said, “We abstained from voting.”
The prime minister mentioned that Russia is a friendly country of Bangladesh
and it stood beside us when the 7th fleet was sent towards Pakistan during
the War of Liberation in 1971.
“Russia stood by us in our bad time and we are surely beside the country,
but if they (Russia) do unjustified anything we don’t accept this,” she said.
She continued that all have to see who is provoking and behind this war.
She went on saying that, “So, on that day we made a decision we wouldn’t
cast vote.”
Sheikh Hasina, however, said there is a group of people in the country who
can’t eat in the normal process rather they choose to eat in different ways
through twisting.
“Whatever you say they don’t like because their income or consultancy will
be stopped if they don’t talk or defame Bangladesh abroad,” she said.
She added that they actually don’t want that Bangladesh moves forward.
Source: BSS
