US Ambassador meets AL, BNP, JP leaders over visa policy

Staff Reporter :
The US Ambassador to Bangladesh, Peter Haas, on Thursday said the newly announced visa policy was “merely their way of helping” to support the democratic electoral process in Bangladesh.

The envoy said this while he met with representatives from the ruling Awami League, the main opposition BNP and the opposition in parliament Jatiya Party at his residence in Dhaka to clarify Washington’s position that the US wanted free, fair and peaceful national elections in Bangladesh.

Meeting sources said that the representatives of the political parties conveyed their respective parties’ positions about the upcoming general elections in the meeting with Peter Haas.
BNP Standing Committee Member and Chairman of the party’s foreign affairs committee Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, its Organising Secretary Shama Obaid, AL Information and Research Affairs Secretary Selim Mahmud and Central Executive Committee Member Mohammad A Arafat and JP Secretary General
Mujibul Haq Chunnu attended the trwo-hour meeting with the diplomat.

Peter Haas made the clarification over Washington’s position regarding Bangladesh’s general election, a day after the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday announced a new visa policy to support Bangladesh’s goal of holding free, fair, and peaceful national polls, restricting visa for any Bangladeshi individual undermining the democratic election process.

After meeting, BNP leaders expressed hope that the new US visa policy will play supporting role for ensuring fair election in Bangladesh.
BNP Standing Committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury said that there was no reason for their party to be worried about the US move since it was involved in vote rigging.
“We welcome this decision of the US as it was made considering the concern of the people of Bangladesh over the (next general) election. I think this step will at least play a supporting role in holding the next polls in a fair and credible manner,” Amir Khasru said in front of the party chairperson’s Gulshan office in the capital.

Amir Khasru said the US move had sent out a message that the people of Bangladesh could not exercise their right to franchise and their constitutional rights had been taken away while their lives were at a risk.

He said that vote rigging is going on continuously in Bangladesh. The US new visa policy was a big message to stop election manipulation in the days to come.
Khasru said that the ruling party should be worried about their future if they again treat in vote rigging instead of restoring people’s voting and democratic rights.
He also said that the US had taken the move as a reflection of the people of Bangladesh’s worries over the upcoming national election. ‘There’s no discussion about the election of other countries, including our neighbouring ones. The US visa policy was announced exclusively for Bangladesh, he added.

Meanwhile, the ruling Awami League leaders said that those who engage in political violence will be in trouble for the new US visa policy.
AL General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader on Thursday said the Awami League government will facilitate and extend all-out cooperation to the Election Commission to hold a neutral general election.
Replying to a query about the newly announced US visa policy Obaidul Quader said, “Awami League will make the next general election free and fair in a peaceful atmosphere.”