Sagar Biswas :
The visiting delegation of the European Parliament (EP) has proposed to arrange a national election within shortest possible time with the participation of all political parties with a view to electing a democratic government.
They made the above view while meeting with BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, senior ministers, officials of different NGOs and government departments, official sources said on Thursday.
The EP delegation arrived here Wednesday on a three-day visit, especially to discuss politics, freedom of expression, labour and human rights issues with politicians, business leaders, NGOs, and media. Jean Lambert [Green Party], chair of the delegation for relations with the countries of South Asia of the EP, is leading the four-member delegation.
Three other members of the delegation are Richard Howitt [Labour Party], vice-chair, delegation for relations with the countries of South Asia, Ivan Štefanec [Christian Democrats], member, committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection and Delegation for relations with the countries of South Asia and Sajjad Karim [UK Conservative Party], Committee on International Trade.
Sources close to Ministry of Foreign Affairs [MoFA] told The New Nation on Thursday that two US government teams have already visited Bangladesh to observe the political and security issues. After that, the EP team has arrived apparently to review the socio-political atmosphere two years after the general elections [held on January 5, 2014].
“Apart from it, they [EP team members] want to know the actual condition of RMG sector. In fact, they are very much eager to observe the security and safety condition of Bangladesh following the recent killings of Japanese and Italian nationals,” said a senior MoFA official last night.
Meanwhile, the EP team met BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia on Thursday afternoon at her Gulshan political office and discussed several issues, particularly current politics, economy, security, law and order and human rights affairs.
When asked about the discussion, BNP Standing Committee member Dr Abdul Moyen Khan, who was also in the meeting, said, “BNP is a democratic and liberal political party. We do politics for the welfare of people. We do believe in transfer of power in a peaceful way.”
“And we also believe, there is no other alternative except holding free, fair and impartial election for the smooth transfer of power. Actually, we have discussed these matters with the EP members,” the BNP leader said.
The team also sat with Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad Dr Shirin Sharmeen Chaudhury, foreign minister AH Mahmood Ali, some politicians, businesspersons, civil society members and media people.
Earlier on Wednesday, the delegation started its activity holding meetings with several government and civil society members, including State minister for Chittagong Hill Tracts Bir Bahadur Ushwi Sing and chairman of National Human Rights Commission Dr Mizanur Rahman.
During the meetings, the EP team expressed grave concern over the killings of bloggers, freethinkers and publishers. They wanted to know what action had been taken by the government against the killers. Urging all sections to ensure freedom of speech, they also laid emphasis on taking immediate legal action against the killers of bloggers and publishers.
Later, the team met with commerce minister Tofail Ahmed at Secretariat in the afternoon. At that time, they reached in a consensus over formation of a business council to accelerate business volume with between Bangladesh and the Europe.
In the same evening, they met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.
But there was no scheduled meeting with the opposition leader in parliament and Jatiya Party senior presidium member Raushan Ershad. The EP team is likely to leave Dhaka today [Friday]. Before departure, they will arrange a press conference to brief the media men about the findings and achievements.
In December, 2014, such a delegation led by Lambert last visited Bangladesh to see the condition of ready-made-garment sector following the collapse of Rana Plaza.
The EP adopted a resolution on November last year on the state of freedom of expression in Bangladesh and called upon the government to reopen all media houses that have been closed down. The resolution also condemned the increasing attacks by Islamist extremists on secularist writers, bloggers, religious minorities, and foreign aid workers in Bangladesh.
It also expressed its concern at the “growing restrictions on freedom of expression which have accompanied the rise of religious fundamentalism, intolerance and extremist violence in the country”.
It is to be noted that, Lambert in October last year, in a letter to the Bangladesh ambassador in Brussels, urged the government to review the death sentence of war criminal Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid, who was hanged for his crimes against humanity in 1971.
The EP is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union. Together with the Council of the EU and the European Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU. The Parliament is composed of 751 members, who represent the second largest democratic electorate in the world [after the Parliament of India] and the largest transnational democratic electorate in the world.
Adds: bdnews24.com
The visiting delegation of the European Parliament (EP) met with Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali at the State Guest House Padma on Thursday afternoon.
Led by Jean Lambert, Chair of the Delegation for Relations with the countries of South Asia, the delegation was comprised of Richard Howitt, Ivan Štefanec, and Sajjad Karim.
Welcoming the delegation, Mahmood Ali expressed his optimism that relations between Bangladesh and the European Union as well as between Dhaka and the EP would continue to grow in future.
The delegation appreciated the progress made under Sustainability Compact concerning labour rights and factory safety in RMG industry in Bangladesh, the foreign ministry said.
Ali said that “we have come a long way since Rana Plaza, despite many challenges”.
He laid emphasis on building a long-term partnership in this regard, including through seeking continued support from the EP.
In response to queries, he apprised the delegation about Bangladesh’s engagements in regional and sub-regional fora, including SAARC, BBIN, BIMSTEC and BCIM-EC, among others.
He also sought support from the EU over realising the potentials of Blue Economy.
The EP delegation appreciated the role of Bangladesh in the Islamic World as a moderate country and expressed its interest in working together in countering global terrorism, extremism and radicalization.
Ali, while referring to the ‘zero tolerance’ policy of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on counter-terrorism and violent extremism, assured the members of the EP of Bangladesh’s sustained efforts in this regard.
The delegation ends its three-day visit on Friday.
