<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday reiterated her call to the expatriate Bangladeshis to work for brightening the country’s image abroad.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>“I would like to call upon all of you to brighten the image of the country,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister said this while leaders of the UK Awami League along with its front and associate bodies met her in her place of residence here.</div><div><br></div><div>Hasina, also the chief of ruling Awami League, regretted that a group of people living abroad are making slander deliberately against the country.</div><div><br></div><div>“Some people, who have left the country after committing various crimes or misdeeds or corruption as well as lost jobs due to illegal acts are spreading slanders against the country deliberately,” she said.</div><div><br></div><div>She observed that they don't see any good and development works (of the government) rather always find faults.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Issuing directives to her party members to get involved with the activities in digital and social platforms to tackle this despicable propaganda, the prime minister laid emphasis on the necessity to carry out publicity of the development works of the government by the AL along with its front and associate bodies before the people.</div><div><br></div><div>Asking the critics (of the government and its development works) to travel all over Bangladesh, the premier said that there is no complaints heard in the rural Bangladesh.</div><div><br></div><div>“I can claim that living standard of the rural people in Bangladesh has been upgraded, and if AL remains power, we will do all other remaining necessary works for their developed life,” she added.</div><div><br></div><div>She mentioned that poverty in Bangladesh has been brought down to 18 percent from 41 percent, while extreme poverty reduced to only 5 percent and unemployment rate now stood at only 3 percent due to different initiatives of the Awami League government.</div><div><br></div><div>Sheikh Hasina said after the assassination of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975, they started the movement of restoring democracy in Bangladesh from London in 1980, as Ziaur Rahman and other military dictators grabbed power illegally.</div><div><br></div><div>She said that Bangladesh has been witnessing a stable democratic journey till now in 2023 as AL formed government in 2009 after winning 2008 election.</div><div><br></div><div>“The country has witnessed this unprecedented development due to establishment of the democracy,” she said, adding, “We’re pulling the country ahead overcoming various difficulties- both local and global such as arson terrorism inside the country.”</div><div><br></div><div>Hasina, also elder daughter of Bangabandhu, said that “My father has brought the independence of the country and this independence can’t be failed. The benefits of this independence have to be reached to all people of the country, and my struggle is for this.”</div><div><br></div><div>The prime minister listened to the leaders of AL along with its front and associate bodies. They said Bangladesh will march ahead towards implementing Sonar Bangla envisioned by Father of the Nation under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.</div><div><br></div><div>Leaders from AL, Chhatra League, Jubo League, Mohila League, Swechhasebak League and other associate bodies demanded unanimously to the AL President and Prime Minister to strengthen their organisation through holding conference and forming new committees.</div><div><br></div><div>Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen also spoke. Bangladesh High Commissioner in London Saida Muna Tasneem was on the dais. AL leaders from different European countries were also present. According to UNB reports&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>