<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>Bangladesh set an instance of religious harmony in the world as her government wants to pull the country forward taking the people of all religious faiths, said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.</b></span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The premier said while exchanging pleasantries with the country's Buddhist religious leaders and eminent personalities of Buddhist community on the Buddha Purnima, the biggest religious festival of the Buddhist community, at Ganabhaban here.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"We want our country to move forward. In Bangladesh, our journey for advancement is with the people of different religious faiths," she said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Buddha Purnima marks the birth, enlightenment and death of Gautama Buddha.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh has set an example in the whole world by observing all festivals of the different religions together and building the country in a non-communal spirit.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She said many people tried to take Bangladesh to a different path but they couldn't.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Bangladeshi people are very generous. We love to walk together. That's how we go ahead," she added.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">Sheikh Hasina mentioned that her government wants to pull the country ahead further.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She said, "We want to build our country. There is no such thing as religions or castes here. We work for people. We work for the socio-economic development of people as well as overall development."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She said her government also works for the development of the Buddhist people in the other parts of the country along with the Chattogram Hill Tracts.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She also said there is a separate fund in the Prime Minister's Office and from there, special assistance is given to the people of other religious faiths not only for religious activities but also for other cultural activities and development as well.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The prime minister also referred to setting up of place of worships for different religious faiths apart from Muslim in the country.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She said, "Actually we need applied education for livelihood. . . Everyone can take religious education from the beginning. Sitting in the place of religious worship, they can also practice religious ritual and learn applied necessity. We have taken step for it."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On the other hand, Sheikh Hasina said the basic principle of every religion, which Gautama Buddha also said, is welfare of the human beings that can make the world people happy.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd/fas</div>