Peter Haas asks home minister if roads would be blocked 28 October

US ambassador Peter Haas asked whether the roads would be closed due to the programme of opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on 28 October, home minister Asaduzzaman Khan said.

The home minister in reply told the US ambassador that the government does not have any such plan. The government thinks the BNP would continue to hold its political programmes peacefully. The government has nothing to say if the party’s programmes remain peaceful, he added.

Peter Haas paid a courtesy call on the home minister at secretariat today, Sunday.

The home minister disclosed the issues of discussion while talking to the media after the meeting.

Asaduzzaman said Peter Haas also asked if the government would bar the people’s movement to Dhaka centring the BNP’s rally.

“I told him why would we stop people’s movement? All the people need to come to Dhaka, patients need to come Dhaka, those who want to go abroad need to come Dhaka - everything here is Dhaka-centric. So, it is out of question,” the minister said.

Reminding of Dhaka’s traffic jam, the home minister said that BNP is saying one million or more people would enter Dhaka (centering its grand rally on 28 October). Entrance of so many people might ensue mismanagement.

“So we would request them not to do anything like that,” the home minister added.

A journalist asked the minister that if asking question about political programme of a party by a foreign ambassador goes against the diplomatic norms and etiquettes. The home minister in reply said, “This is my question to you. He came as a diplomat, asked questions and we gave him reply.”

Home minister Asaduzzaman Khan said Peter Haas inquired about the preparation of Durga Puja. He has been told that the authorities have ensured security in every Puja mandap (pandal).

People of Bangladesh do not support any violence and that’s why the minister believes that no untoward incident would happen during the ongoing Dura Puja.