Dhaka to brief US on Bangladesh govt initiatives for fair polls

Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen is due to fly to Washington on Friday upon an invitation by his US counterpart Antony J Blinken to brief him about initiatives taken by the government in Dhaka on holding a fair and transparent national election due to be held at the end of the year or early next year.

"The US is always keen to see a transparent and fair election in Bangladesh, which is also the commitment of the ruling party. In this visit, we will brief them on what are the arrangements we have taken to hold a fair election," Momen told journalists at a book-launching programme at the InterContinental Dhaka on Wednesday.

"We have arranged all the institutional preparations required to hold a credible national election. We decided to have a transparent ballot box, biometric ID to check for fake votes, and an independent election commission that will determine how the election will be operated," he added.

However, fair elections are not possible without the help of all political parties, whether they are the ruling or opposition parties, he added.

"It is the opposition parties' responsibility to cooperate in holding a fair election," said the foreign minister.

Bangladesh is the only country in the world that has sacrificed three million lives to uphold democracy and human rights. "So, other nations should not teach us democracy – it is in our blood and vein," he continued.

During the visit, Bangladesh is going to discuss other bilateral issues, including the Rohingya repatriation and ways to increase bilateral trade.

The book titled "The Father of Nation Bangabandhu" is a Japanese Manga Style comic publication written by ME Chowdhury Shameem, founder and president of Scholars Bangladesh Society, and Iwamoto Keita, chief executive officer of Shine Partners Co Ltd.

Addressing the programme, Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Iwama Kiminori said that Japanese businessmen, students, and NGO workers will easily know about Bangladesh and Bangabandhu through this book.

Among others, Mohammad Nurul Huda, director general of the Bangla Academy; Engineer Ghulam Mohammed Alomgir, chairman of Max Group; and Professor Fakrul Alam, director at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Research Institute for Peace and Liberty at the University of Dhaka, spoke at the event.

Dilara Afroz Khan Rupa, CEO and co-founder of Scholars Bangladesh Society, moderated the programme.