Biswal in Dhaka

The US’s point person for South and Central Asia Nisha Desai Biswal has reached Dhaka on Thursday on a three-day visit.

She will hold meetings with high-level government officials, opposition party leaders and labour representatives, clothing sector and business community leaders during her stay.

She came from Kathmandu at a regular Bangladesh Biman flight at about 6pm, airport officials say.

The Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs represented US as observer at the SAARC summit in Kathmandu.

She will also travel to the Bangladesh Institute of Peace Support Operation Training (BIPSOT) in Gazipur before leaving on Saturday.

Biswal in her capacity oversees US foreign policy with India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives, Bhutan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan.

Last year in November, she visited Dhaka and pitched for a dialogue to resolve the political crisis over the nature of the poll-time administration.

The BNP boycotted the elections and the US did not find them credible, as more than half of the seats returned uncontested winners.

Washington also called for fresh elections as soon as possible on the basis of a consensus.

It is believed that Biswal will take stock of the post-poll situation in Bangladesh.

The US is the single largest export destination for Bangladeshi products, though last year it suspended the GSP privilege that some products used to enjoy, prompted by factory safety and workers rights concerns.

The US and Bangladesh hold regular “partnership dialogues” among other engagements.

From Dhaka, Biswal would go to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, for the Annual Bilateral Consultations, the State Department had said earlier.