Bangladesh election should be free and non-violent: US State Department

The US has said that the upcoming general election in Bangladesh should be free, fair and open for all.

US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said this during a briefing on Tuesday.

A newsperson at the briefing asked that following the 2 +2 ministerial meeting in India, "Vinay Kwatra, Indian foreign ministry official, restated a stable Bangladesh for the Indian subcontinent and raised concern over rising extremism with third-country intervention. What will be really dangerous for India – yeah, as well as for the USA? Will you differ from such an Indian stance on Bangladesh?"

Mathew Miller, in response, said, “I just don’t have any comment on that.”

The newsperson said, “While U.S. envoy repeatedly calling for dialogue between parties, ignoring the street violence between BNP-Jamaat-led blockade, can the US guarantee the end of such violence by BNP-Jamaat given past record of such violence by same group in Bangladesh?”

Responding to the question, Mathew Miller said, “We have consistently said that we believe elections in Bangladesh should take – should be free and fair and open, and they should take place free of violence.”