US sanctions on RAB officials will encourage militancy: Quader
Awami League general secretary and road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader said on Sunday said the US sanctions on seven former and current RAB officials have been politically motivated and the decision will inspire terrorism and militancy, reports UNB.
At a briefing at his office in the secretariat this morning Quader said RAB as an elite force has been professional in discharge of its work.
He recalled the contriversial US role during Bangladesh liberation war in 1971 and after assassination of Bangabandhu in 1975.
Yet Bangladesh did not allow these issues to stand on way of establishing friendly relations with Washington, he said.
He said the US move has hurt Bangladesh when it is celebrating 50 years of its independence.
The two countries are working from their respective positions on multilateral issues including bilateral and common issues, he said.
Quader said that the Anti-Corruption Commission is playing an independent role in carrying out any investigation but it is unreasonable to impose sanctions on a force’s chief and former officers by making baseless allegations.
Speaking about human rights, the Awami League general secretary also said that such a decision is a kind of violation of human rights.
He urged them to look into the human rights situation in their country first.
Obaidul Quader said that the death of George Floyd had shaken the whole world which raised the question about the human rights situation of the US.
Obaidul Quader said that the UN itself had expressed concern over the issue of discrimination and oppression of blacks.
"The world has witnessed the tragic deaths of five people trying to seize Capitol Hill after losing an election. The world has seen the face of American democracy and the face of their human rights," he also added.
Obaidul Quader said that Amnesty International had repeatedly pointed out the weakness of the United States in its indicators of internal democracy and protection of human rights.
Some of Bangabandhu's assassins are still hiding in America, war criminals have also fled there, said Awami League general secretary.
He said any comment on human rights is not acceptable where ordinary people take to the streets in different cities to protest against extrajudicial killings day after day.
Quader said, "We are sure that some anti-Bangladesh people and evil forces may have political motives behind the decision."
Obaidul Quader said that the people of the country think that their ban on a security force of Bangladesh is political and a despicable attempt to force Bangladesh to surrender to state of slavery.
He added that those responsible for the deaths and displacement of people in the Middle East, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Libya and Yemen are giving the world a lessons of human rights today.
Citing mutual trust and confidence as the basis of our friendly relations with the United States, Quader said Bangladesh hoped that the US administration would be more informed and careful in making decisions to advance the existing relationship between the people of the two countries.
He further added that there is an opportunity for any issue to be resolved through dialogue with the foreign affairs ministry.
Bangladesh has already summoned the US ambassador to express its anger and dissatisfaction, he said adding "We believe that the US administration will move away from this irrational and one-sided decision."