Former Prime Minister of Malaysia Dr Mahathir Mohamad highly praised on Saturday the recent development activities in Bangladesh during the AL-led government, reports UNB.
Dr Mahathir came up with his observations when he met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her official residence Ganobhaban.
PM's special assistant Mahbubul Hoque Shakil briefed reporters after the meeting.
He said Dr Mahathir praised the infrastructural development of Bangladesh in recent times.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the present government laid emphasis on the overall development of the whole country, not only the capital city. "We've put emphasis on development of the rural economy bringing down the migration rate of people from rural areas to urban areas," she said.
In this connection, the Prime Minister said the government stressed the importance of development of rural education, health, communication and infrastructural development, and has taken huge projects in this regard.
Hasina said the government has also provided internet facilities to rural areas.
PM's son eminent IT specialist Sajeeb Wazed Joy, PM's adviser Gowher Rizvi and state minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam were, among others, present during the meeting.
Wife of Dr Mahathir Mohamad Dr Siti Hasmah bt Hj Mohd Ali, Mazli Bin Mazlan and Malaysian High Commissioner in Dhaka Norlin Othman were also present.
Earlier, while speaking as the convocation speaker at second convocation of University of Information Technology and Sciences (UITS) in the city, Dr Mahathir Bin Mohamad said Saturday the Muslim world should be enriched with knowledge of science and technology to protect themselves, not to conquer the world.
"We need knowledge, if we want to defend ourselves. Muslims don't want to be aggressive, we have no ambition to conquer the world but we have the right to defend ourselves and our religion," he said.
President Abdul Hamid, also the chancellor of the university, presided over the convocation ceremony held at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.
Mahathir, popularly known as architect of the modern Malaysia, said presently the Muslims and their countries are in terrible state, they are occupied by foreigners, they are attacked and invaded.
"This is because we have no capacity to invent, to design and to produce our own weapons. We don't have ability as we haven't pursued the knowledge of technology and science. We need knowledge in all fields of science," he said.
And today, he said "it is even more important because we can communicate any party of world with the presence of information created by information and technology."
Mentioning that over the 500 years the Muslim ummah has neglected this field of knowledge, Mahathir said "It is true that we must know our religion. But it is not true that we should only focus on the study of our religion. We are asked to read (Iqra). There was nothing specific what to read."
