Dhaka, March 21 (IANS) While extending Eid greetings on Saturday, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman called on the citizens to back his government's efforts in shaping a "desired Bangladesh", local media reported.
Addressing journalists at the State Guest House Jamuna in Dhaka, the Prime Minister also appealed to the public for their prayers and support.
"On this Eid day, I pray to Almighty Allah to bless us so that we can build the Bangladesh people expect. If we have your support, this elected government will do its utmost to build the country in line with your expectations," Bangladeshi media outlet UNB quoted Tarique as saying.
The Prime Minister also paid homage to those who sacrificed their lives and were injured in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War against Pakistan, as well as those who were killed or injured in the July 2024 mass demonstrations.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Tarique greeted members of the diplomatic corps, politicians, distinguished citizens and people from various walks of life at Jamuna on the occasion of the festival.
President Mohammed Shahabuddin and the Prime Minister also offered prayers at the main congregation at the National Eidgah in Dhaka.
Eid-ul-Fitr, the biggest religious festival of Muslims, is being celebrated across Bangladesh on Saturday with enthusiasm and religious fervour, while law enforcement agencies, including police and the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab), have heightened security to avert any untoward incidents, local media reported.
Meanwhile, the opposition and the radical Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami's chief, Shafiqur Rahman, expressed concern over passenger hardship and excessive fares during Eid travel.
Speaking to journalists after offering prayers in the capital's Mirpur, he said such hardship during Eid journeys was unexpected in a "changed Bangladesh", calling the incidents of overcharging "inhumane" and "a crime against humanity".
He noted that ordinary people, particularly low-income earners, faced hardship while travelling back to their village homes ahead of Eid.
"If the little savings people accumulate throughout the year are spent entirely on travel, the joy of Eid is lost," Bangladesh's leading newspaper, The Daily Star, quoted the Jamaat chief as saying.
Condemning the Bangladesh National Party (BNP) government ministers, concerned and calling the failure to control fares a national "embarrassment", Rahman said, "It was their responsibility to make Eid travel comfortable and convenient, but they failed to do so."
--IANS
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