The Awami League-led 14-party alliance will welcome Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at a mass reception today, for being conferred the United Nations’ (UN) highest environment award — Champions of the Earth — and the ICT Sustainable Development Award. AL central leaders, led by health minister Mohammad Nasim and its acting general secretary Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif, have held a series of meetings with leaders of its associate organisations, the 14-party alliance and pro-AL professional bodies over the past couple of days to make the reception a success. As part of last-minute preparations, they held a meeting with alliance partners and other pro-AL professionals at party president Sheikh Hasina’s Dhanmondi office yesterday (Friday). AL presidium member Mohammad Nasim called upon people from of all walks of life, including leaders and workers of the BNP-Jamaat, to come out on the streets to welcome the Prime Minister.
He said Sheikh Hasina has dedicated this accomplishment to the people of Bangladesh and, hence, it is the entire nation’s achievement. “So everyone should welcome her, and I hope a large number of people will be on the streets today,” he said. Addressing the meeting, Hanif said the BNP-Jamaat alliance has always promoted propaganda against the Hasina government, but the people will give them a fitting reply by attending the reception spontaneously. Sheikh Hasina reached London from New York on Thursday evening after winding up her eight-day official visit to the US to attend the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). She will leave for home on a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight around 8.35pm (London time). She is expected to land at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 1.30pm (BST) today after a brief stopover at Sylhet Osmani International Airport.