Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina has urged world leaders to come forward to stop the ongoing Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Palestine wars for the sake of the global welfare.

‘The wars and arms race can’t bring the welfare of the people,’ she said referring to Russia-Ukraine war and Tuesday’s bombing of a Palestine hospital that caused huge casualties.

The prime minister made the call while addressing the inauguration of Sheikh Russell Day-2023 and the awarding-ceremony of Sheikh Russell Medal-2023 at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in Dhaka on Wednesday.

The event was jointly organised by Sheikh Russell Jatiyo Shishu Kishore Parishad and ICT Division to mark the 60th birthday of Sheikh Russell, the youngest son of Bangladesh’s founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Russell was one of the martyrs of the August 15 tragedy when he was just 10-year-old.

Hasina said that children and women were the worst victims of the wars. ‘Now, Israel has started attacking Palestine. Many children were killed in Tuesday’s bomb attack on a hospital. The bloodstained images of children have been seen there. Children are also being killed in Israel,’ she added.

She said, ‘We can understand the pain and sufferings of the people who are losing their parents and children in the wars as my sister Sheikh Rehana and I had to lead such life and we stayed as refugees in foreign lands after 1975 bloodbath.’

‘So, we don’t want war. I call upon to stop the war,’ said the prime minister.

She said that the money spent for arms production and races should be used for ensuring food, healthcare and development of the world’s children. ‘It is our demand. I also demand it,’ she added.

‘We want peace. Because, peace brings development and war causes destruction. We don’t want destruction, rather want development and peace,’ she said, adding that Bangladesh had always been working for peace.

State minister for information and communication technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak presided over the event, while ICT Division secretary Md Shamsul Arefin, acting president of Sheikh Russell Jatiyo Shishu Kishore Parishad Chowdhury Nafiz Sharafat, its secretary general KM Shahidullah, organising secretary Fariduddin Ahmed Ratan and child speaker Amira Nayer Chowdhury spoke on the occasion.

A video message from Indian Colonel (retd) Ashok Kumar Tara, who had a good relation with Sheikh Russell, a video documentary on Sheikh Russell and a theme song marking Sheikh Russell Day-2023 were played at the event, moderated by organising secretary of the parishad Barrister Jahangir Hossain Rony.

In the function, the PM opened a number of projects and unveiled the foundation stones of some other projects of the ICT Division by swapping a smart card.

PM Hasina also unveiled a book titled ‘Sraroner Aborone Sheikh Russell’ featuring his childhood.

The Sheikh Russell Day-2023 is being observed with the theme Sheikh Russell Diptimoy, Nirvik Nirmal Durjoy’ (Sheikh Russell was enlightened, fearless and indomitable).

Russell was born on October 18, 1964, at the historic Bangabandhu Bhaban at Dhanmondi.