PM orders AL to distribute iftar to poor, not hold party: Quader

Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has instructed her party leaders and activists not to arrange iftar mahfils but to distribute iftar items among the poor people.

"AL President Sheikh Hasina has instructed all the party leaders and activists – from the centre to grassroots level – not to organise iftar mahfils," the party general secretary Obaidul Quader told a rally in front of AL's Bangabandhu Avenue central office.

Dhaka south and north units of Awami League arranged the joint rally, marking the Genocide Day on March 25.

Quader, also the road transport and bridges minister, said: "All the AL units and its affiliated organisations from the central level to grassroots level will not arrange iftar mahfils during the holy month of Ramadan. This is the instruction from our party chief. You should distribute iftar items among the poor and the destitute people with the money you are supposed to spend for arranging iftar mahfils."

On behalf of the party, he said, AL men would distribute iftar items among poor people instead of arranging iftar parties.

BNP a collaborator party of Pakistan: Quader

Obaidul Quader also said the BNP is a dalal (collaborator) party of Pakistan and that is why it should be resisted.

Quader said BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir is the spokesperson of evil communal forces and militancy.

Fakhrul claimed that Pakistan era was better than Bangladesh, which means that he holds the spirit of Pakistan, the AL general secretary said.

He said Pakistan did not express sorry or seek apology yet for the genocide it carried out during the Bangladesh's 1971 Liberation War.

Quader said BNP is a datal party of Pakistan as it believes in the spirit of Pakistan. "They (BNP) must be resisted and defeated. Those who say Pakistan era was good are actually the servants and brokers of Pakistan," he added.

"Why did not BNP hold any programme on the National Genocide Day (March 25)? Why BNP does not observe the March 25?" he questioned, saying that BNP does not hold the spirit of March 25 and 26 and it sits quietly on the Genocide Day.