A day after a major US policy shift for Bangladesh, leaders of Awami League, BNP and Jatiya Party have held a meeting with Peter D Haas, the US ambassador to Bangladesh.
The meeting started around 11:50pm on Thursday at the envoy’s Gulshan house in the capital.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a new US immigration policy on Wednesday, restricting visas for Bangladeshi individuals ‘believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining the democratic election process in Bangladesh’.
Sources familiar with the development said AL Information and Research Secretary Salim Mahmud, the party’s central committee member Mohammad A Arafat, BNP Standing Committee Member Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury and its Organising Secretary Shama Obaed, Jatiya Party Secretary General Mujibul Haque Chunnu and its Presidium Member Rana Md Sohail were there.
Chunnu, after the two-hour meeting, told reporters that they discussed the visa policy by the US embassy for Bangladeshis.
The US embassy sought opinion from the parties, the Jatiya Party leader said.
“So, the three parties separately placed their takes on the move. The AL and BNP leaders also spoke about election and law enforcement agencies,” added Chunnu.
“It has been understood from the meeting that the visa policy is aimed at free and fair election. We agree with it. We told the meeting that there has been no objection from us regarding the visa policy,” he said.
The restriction applies to current and former Bangladeshi officials, members of pro-government and opposition political parties, and members of law enforcement, the judiciary, and security services.
Actions that fall under this restriction include vote rigging, voter intimidation, the use of violence to prevent people from exercising their right to freedoms of association and peaceful assembly, and the use of measures designed to prevent political parties, voters, civil society, or the media from disseminating their views, according to the State Department statement.
The foreign ministry in Dhaka said Bangladeshis are conscious of their democratic and voting rights and there is no precedent for a government to continue in office after usurping the people’s mandate through vote rigging.
“The people’s right to franchise is considered a State sanctity by the Awami League government that has a political legacy of unrelenting struggles and sacrifice for securing that right. The government attaches importance to freedom of assembly and association for all peaceful and legitimate democratic processes,” it said.
