Mozena discussed issues of security of diplomatic missions: US embassy
US Ambassador in Dhaka Dan W Mozena has reportedly said BNP should severe its ties with Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, reports Indian newspaper Anandabazar Patrika quoting Foreign Minister Abul Hasan Mahmood Ali.
“At last, considering the situation, Dan Mozena told me that BNP should sever ties with Jamaat,” the report said quoting Mahmood Ali.
The US diplomat made the remark during his meeting with Bangladesh Foreign Minister, said the report published on December 19.
The Foreign Minister was also quoted as saying that Bangladesh had not heard such negative remark from the United States about Jamaat in the recent past.
However, US Embassy Spokesperson Kelly McCarthy said Ambassador Mozena in his meeting with the Foreign Minister discussed issues related to security of diplomatic missions.
“Ambassador Mozena regularly meets with counterparts in the diplomatic community, civil society and Government of Bangladesh as part of his normal day-to-day activities in Bangladesh. In his meeting with the Foreign Minister Ambassador Mozena discussed issues related to security of diplomatic missions,” she told UNB.
Quoting Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu, the report said the government is preparing a whitepaper with the compilation of all information on Jamaat’s records of violence and atrocities.
Inu was also quoted as saying that Bangladesh wants to show the US that Jamaat has ties with the Taliban and Pakistani extremists.
“Around 7,000 Jamaat leaders and extremists were sent to Afghanistan several times by ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence, the premier intelligence agency of Pakistan) to take training from Taliban ever since the 80s,” the daily reported quoting Inu.
“Few of the Jamaat leaders maintained direct connection with Osama Bin Laden, who has build-up militant dens at different parts of the country,” the report said.
The US has long termed Jamaat as a moderate Islamist group which should be allowed to retain political space in Bangladesh. Awami League has complained that the US administration, which supported Pakistan in 1971, is closer to the BNP, according to the report.
Quoting Inu, the report also mentioned that how the BNP-Jamaat alliance is conspiring to foil the election will also be included in the whitepaper.
Meanwhile, on the elections, Kelly McCarthy said, “As the countdown continues to the expiration of this parliament’s mandate on January 24, we believe it is more urgent than ever for the major parties to redouble their efforts to engage in constructive dialogue to find a way forward to holding free and fair elections that are credible in the eyes of the Bangladeshi people.”
She said violence of any nature is not part of the democratic process, is not acceptable, and must stop immediately.
“The United States believes that in a democracy all parties have a right to political space to express their views peacefully and freely.”
Source: UNB Connect
It’s universally acknowledged that violence and extremism broods and is bred only in the absence of real democracy. Where democracy is allowed to play its true and meaningful role, violence and extremism can never grow or develop. But what’s happening in Bangladesh now? 154 MPs (??) have been elected (??) without the voters getting even the chance to go to the polling centres. This is the kind of democracy being exercised in Bangladesh where a pretty big bunch of foreign agents are in action to eat away the independence of the country. The nests and dens for hatching anti-independence conspiracies are not far away from our border. The time has really come to seriously mind the saw: It’s not difficult to gain independence; but it’s by far the more difficult to preserve it.