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The Awami League president, Sheikh Hasina, on Tuesday alleged that the alliance government had been killing her party leaders and workers in a planned way to take revenge for their defeat in 1971.
   ‘The situation now is like that of of 1966-67. The ruling parties do not believe in the independence of the country at all. That’s why they are killing people without trial to take revenge for their defeat in 1971,’ said Hasina, also leader of the opposition in parliament.
   She was addressing a discussion titled ‘June 7 in the Perspective of Autonomy to Freedom’ in observance of the Six-Point Day, organised by her party at the Institution of Engineers Bangladesh.
   Hasina alleged that the people who are now running the country had killed Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975 in retaliation for their defeat in 1971.
   Hasina also accused the alliance government of distorting the history of the war of independence. ‘They do this because they don’t believe in independence of the country.’
   Referring to the upcoming budget, Hasina said the government is going to deceive the people in the coming budget.
   The government has exceeded all the limits of tyranny, corruption and terrorism, she said. The former prime minister called upon the people of the country to expedite and strengthen the movement against corruption and terrorism by the government.
   The opposition leader urged the people to get united to force the government to step down, and said the days of the alliance government are numbered.
   Dr Harun-or-Rashid presented the keynote paper at the discussion. Awami League general secretary Abdul Jalil, presidium members Sajeda Chowdhury, Amir Hossain Amu, Tofail Ahmed, Motia Chowdhury, Maya, president of the Dhaka University Teachers’ Association AAMS Arefin Siddique and former vice-chancellor of DU Dr AK Azad Chowdhury, took part in the discussion.
   Earlier, Sheikh Hasina placed a floral wreath before the portrait of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at the Bangabandhu Museum in Dhanmondi.
   On June 7 in 1966, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had put forward a six-point demand for provincial autonomy when this country was under the rule of Pakistani military dictator Ayub Khan.

Stranded Pakistanis in Bangladesh on Tuesday staged a token hunger strike across the country in demand for immediate resumption of electricity supply to their camps.
   The Power Division cut off the power connections to all 70 camps in 13 districts on Friday morning due to non-payment of outstanding bills.
   As per its plan, the Stranded Pakistanis General Repatriation Committee organised the token hunger strike in all 13 districts including Dhaka. One political party, one business association and a non-governmental organisation joined the programme and expressed their solidarity.
   Centrally, the committee, led by its chief patron, M Nasim Khan, staged the token hunger strike on Gaznabi Road at Mohammadpur.
   The local leaders of the Communist Party of Bangladesh, the Mohammadpur Bazar Samity and Al Falah, a non-governmental organisation, attended the programme and extended their support.
   Addressing the gathering, they criticised the government for its failure to restore power connections by Sunday noon as it had promised Saturday.
   The prime minister's office had assured the stranded Pakistanis of resumption of power supply by Sunday noon when the repatriation committee leaders submitted a memorandum Saturday noon.
   But the government changed its course as the Power Division refused to restore power supply until the disaster management and relief ministry, responsible for the welfare of the camps, paid 50 per cent of the arrears.
   The strike began at 10:00am and ended at 4:00pm.
   The New Age correspondent reports from Chittagong that several hundred stranded Pakistanis took part in the strike in front of the Chittagong Press Club.
   They said life of 25,000 stranded Pakistanis at seven camps at stake as electricity supply lines were snapped.
   They termed it a gross violation of human rights and urged the government to take immediate steps to restore electricity supply.