Bangladesh's Hasina blames Zia for violence against minorities

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today asked Bangladesh's main opposition party leader Khaleda Zia to shun violence, even as she blamed the former premier for nationwide attacks on Hindus after the general election.
Hasina, whose Awami League party swept the January 5 polls following a boycott by the opposition, called on Zia to sit for talks and to stop a nationwide blockade to resolve the ongoing political crisis.
"If you (Zia) want to say something, first shun violence and stop killing people," Hasina told an Awami League rally organised here to commemorate the 1972 return of her father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, from captivity in a prison in erstwhile West Pakistan.

"She (Zia) wants to ruin the country outraged by her failure. She has set the Jamaat on the minorities," Hasina was quoted as saying by Bdnews24.
She was referring to the widespread violence unleashed by opposition activists ahead of and after the polls. The government yesterday decided to set up special tribunals under an anti-terror law to punish the perpetrators of violence against the Hindu minority.
"Don't torture people, don't kill people. I would like to appeal to the BNP chief to stop it. The Awami League knows how to stop it if you (the BNP) do not stop it on your own. We will be tough as much as we need to be to save the lives of the people of Bangladesh," she said.

Hasina also congratulated the voters for a 40 per cent turnout in the polls. "I am grateful to those who went to polling stations defying obstacles," Hasina said.
The Prime Minister said she had met President Abdul Hamid and took his consent to form the government on Sunday.
Strikes and blockades enforced by the BNP-led opposition alliance since November have left over 160 people dead and crippled the economy.