"We hope that the Imams (religious leaders) would play a wider role in turning our people into human resources in real sense in the light of the teachings of the holy Quran," she said while inaugurating the National Imam Conference-2003 at Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre.

The prime minister sought cooperation of the Imams for integration of women in workforce to eradicate illiteracy and raise mass awareness about health, environment and planned families.

The country has four lakh Imams and Muazzins in about two lakh mosques and they have acceptability in the society, she mentioned.

Jointly organised by Ministry of Religious Affairs and the UNFPA, the conference was aimed at providing training to the Imams on reproductive health, mother and child healthcare, rights of women and children, HIV/Aids and environment.

Some 700 Imams and Muazzins from different parts of the country took part in the conference.

Ministers, MPs, diplomats, representatives of development agencies and Islamic scholars were also present at the function.

Referring to the advancement of science and knowledge in the world, the prime minister said, "We have no scope to lag behind in the present situation."

She also called for removing illiteracy and ignorance from the society as these are the main obstacles to changing the lot of the people.

"We want to come out of the grip of poverty that makes human life undignified and meaningless. So, we want to involve the Imams in our programmes for poverty alleviation."

The prime minister recalled late president Ziaur Rahman's initiative to train up the Imams to make them aware of modern knowledge and technology and the establishment of Imam training Institute in 1979.

"As a continuation, we have taken a programme to involve the Imams in different development programmes in phases," she said.

Referring to the government's programme for expansion of women education, Khaleda said Imams can make a meaningful contribution to this end.

She said majority of the women who constitute half of the population are still deprived of their legitimate rights even at the family level because of ignorance and personal interest.

"We would never march forward keeping the women behind," the prime minister said.

She said Bangladesh has already got recognition in the world as a liberal, non-communal, democratic and modern Muslim majority country. People of all religions are practising their respective religions freely here, she added.

"The respected Imams would have to play a pioneering role to sustain this tradition."

Finance and Planning Minister M Saifur Rahman, State Minister for Religious Affairs Mosharref Hossain Shajahan, Secretary of the Ministry Syed Sajedul Karim, UNFPA Representative Suneeta Mukherjee, Islamic Foundation Director General AZM Shamsul Alam and representative of the Imams Al-haj AFM Najmus Salehin also spoke.