Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday said Ziaur Rahman, HM Ershad and Khaleda Zia were not serious about the development of country as they were not born on Bangladesh soil.

“Only my father (Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman) and I are from the soil of this land. Others who came to the power are from outside Bangladesh,” she told a civic reception accorded to her by the Italy unit of Awami League at Parco Dei Principi Grand Hotel and Spa in Rome.

She said Ziaur Rahman was born in Bihar, Ershad in Cooch Behar and Khaleda Zia in Shiliguri. “If you look deeply, you’ll find that except Bangabandhu and me, no one was from the soil of this land,” she added.

Sheikh Hasina said she, being the child of this soil, has some responsibilities towards this soil.

“Many came to power but they didn’t know the country properly as they were not born here,” she said, adding that it is essential to know the country properly to develop it.

The Prime Minister said the Father of the Nation and she herself took massive development programmes to uplift the country. “Proper planning and specific direction can change a country surely,” she said.

In this connection, she said those who came to power after August 15, 1975 never thought about the development of the country. “We think power as the scope to work for the people. It’s the chance to serve the people…I’m working as the servant of the people. It’s our aim,” she added.

Sheikh Hasina, also the chief of the ruling Awami League, said her party only wants the development of the country. “No one will be able to pull us down from our march towards development,” she said.

In this connection, she said now 90 percent of the development work are being done with own resources. “Now, we don’t beg to the development partners. Rather they are coming to us (with offers to assist development works),” she said.

The Prime Minister requested expatriate Bangladeshis to obey the laws and rules of the respective countries where they are living so that the image of the country is not tarnished.

She said the government has taken an initiative to send at least 1,000 people abroad from each upazila of the country.

She said the government has introduced modern e-passport after the digital one.

Regarding the harassment of expatriates at airports of the country, the Prime Minister she is well aware of the hassle and harassment.

“Actually character of some people in the country is very bad. When they came to know that a particular person is returning from foreign country, they think that he will give some dollars under pressure,” she said.

She also said giving and receiving bribe is a sin. Both are same type of offenders. “You people make their habit bad. Don’t do this in future,” she said.

In this connection, she mentioned the government has installed close circuit cameras at airports to reduce the harassment of expatriates.

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen and Italy Awami League president Haji Mohammad Idris Farazi and an expatriate Bangladeshi in Italy Hosne Ara Begum spoke on the occasion.