Govt knows Haas’ whereabouts, but would not disclose
Diplomatic Correspondent :
Foreign Ministry has said that they were aware of the whereabouts of the US Ambassador Peter Haas, but they would not make it public due to diplomatic norms.
“Foreign Ministry is aware of the matter concerning the US Ambassador. Still, this information will not be publicly disclosed by the Ministry,” Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Seheli Sabrin said this during the weekly briefing on Thursday.
Explaining the procedure, she said, “When any ambassador leaves station, he/she follows protocol and informs the host country through diplomatic letter. In their absence, someone else is put in charge.”
“Similarly, when our diplomats depart, they have to inform the headquarters and the host government through diplomatic letters. Additionally, the name of the person taking over responsibilities is disclosed. It is part of a diplomatic process,” she continued.
The matter came to the surface following various media reports that Peter Haas left Dhaka for Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka on Thursday noon.
In reply to a question, Seheli Sabrin said, “Why should there be any misinformation when you (journalists) can talk to the embassy concerned?”
The US Embassy in Dhaka also did not make any official statement on the matter.
Before leaving Dhaka, Peter Haas had whirlwind of meetings with different stakeholders, including ruling Awami League, BNP and Jatiya Party over the last couple of days, urging the political parties to sit together to resolve the current political impasse. Even on Wednesday, Peter Haas had meetings with the representatives of World Bank and International Monetary Fund in his residence.
Due to intensive presence in the political landscape urging incumbent government to ensure a free, fair and peaceful election, Peter Haas even received different violent rhetoric from the root level Awami League leaders, threatening his security.
On November 6, Chattogram’s Banshkhali upazila’s Chambal union chairman and Union Awami League convener Mujibul Haque Chowdhury threatened to beat Peter Haas.
Following such remarks, the State Department’s spokesperson Vedant Patel recently said, “Safety and security of our diplomatic personnel and our diplomatic facilities is of utmost importance. I think such kind of violent rhetoric is deeply unhelpful.”
