End political violence: President

THAKURGAON, Sept 6: Calling for an end to political confrontation and violence, President Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Sunday urged political parties to embrace tolerance, dialogue and peace, warning that Thakurgaon should not return to the days of conflict and bloodshed.

“We do not want any conflict or confrontation in Thakurgaon. We want peace. I urge all political parties to pursue their politics and propagate their respective ideologies, but never become involved in conflict,” the president said while addressing a civic reception organised by Citizens’ Committee at Thakurgaon Government Boys’ High School playground at around 5:30pm.


Disaster Management and Relief Minister Asadul Habib Dulu, Water Resources State Minister Farhad Hossain Azad, Thakurgaon-2 lawmaker Dr Abdus Salam, Thakurgaon-3 lawmaker Zahidur Rahman Zahid, educationist Professor Mantosh Kumar Dey, district Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Belal Uddin Pradhan, education enthusiast Akhtaruzzaman Mia, former education official and teacher Shankar Kumar Ghosh, teacher and religious leader Hafez Rashid Alam, and farmer representative Yunus Ali also addressed the programme.

Referring to commitments made by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman during his election campaign in Thakurgaon, President said several long-standing demands of the people had already been fulfilled.

Among them, he said, was the establishment of a public university in the district. “The university has been established, land has been acquired, the vice-chancellor is in place, and the recruitment of teachers will begin soon. The money for the land has already been paid. InshaAllah, we will lay the foundation stone tomorrow,” he said. 

President said the university would provide local students with opportunities for higher education without having to leave the district.

He also said the long-demanded medical college had been established, with a site finalised, and that student admissions were expected to begin next year. He further noted that the demands to establish separate upazilas in Bhulli and Ruhia had also been fulfilled, with the respective upazila administrations already starting operations.

Speaking about the proposed airport, the president said he had agreed to the demand of local residents, although the facility might not directly benefit the general population to any significant extent. “An airport will make things easier for those involved in business and commerce. But if we want to operate the airport and sustain it in the future, we must increase factories, industries and economic activities in the district,” he said.