US officials’ visits indicate closer ties with Bangladesh: Info minister

Information and broadcasting minister Hasan Mahmud has said the upcoming visit of US officials indicates closer relationship between Dhaka and Washington.

“Our relationship with the United States is multidimensional. We have security cooperation with them and we work through multidimensional cooperation on the global stage. The United States is also playing a big role in the development of Bangladesh,” news agency UNB quoted the minister as saying.

Minister Hasan Mahmud made the remarks while talking to reporters regarding the upcoming high profile visits of US officials at the secretariat on Wednesday afternoon.

Regarding BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir’s recent meeting with EU ambassador Charles Whiteley, the information minister said, “The people have the power to decide who will come to power. If the BNP has any complaints, they should go to the people, not to foreigners.”

Hasan said Bangladesh will follow the same election procedure, which is being followed by countries in the European Union and the United Kingdom.

Reacting to the announcement that BNP’s one-point movement to topple the government will start from Chattogram, He, also joint secretary of the ruling party, said, “BNP founder Ziaur Rahman was killed in Chattogram due to internal conflict. Chattogram is very significant. So we should observe if the one-point movement dies in Chattogram.”

No geo-political pressure on the government

The information and broadcasting minister has said the government is not facing any pressure from other countries.

"The government led by Sheikh Hasina is not under any pressure. We have dealt with the violence that BNP did in the name of political movement from 2013 to 2015. The BNP can no longer afford to do so, and due to geopolitics, it is not possible for them to hold such a movement again,” he said.

The minister also said that the people have rejected BNP’s plea to not vote in the city polls.

“Even in the midst of so much campaigning, 50 per cent of the votes were cast. So people will participate in the next elections as well,” he said.

"The key to democracy is whether people are participating in elections. We certainly welcome BNP's participation. But even if they don't participate, people will vote in the next election.”