British envoy meets Khaleda, urges for confidence-building measures

British High Commissioner Robert Gibson has called upon all parties to take “confidence building” measures that can defuse the current tension in Bangladesh and allow normal life to resume.

He made the call in a statement he read out after meeting Khaleda Zia at her office on Wednesday.

All eyes were on the Gulshan office as he was the first diplomat to meet the BNP chairperson after Jan 5 when she called non-stop blockade marred by violence.

At least 60 people have died so far since the transport blockade began, most burnt to death in fire-bombings.

Gibson had nearly an hour-long one-on-one meeting with the former prime minister.

He termed the current level of violence both “distressing and deplorable”.

The BNP chief called the blockade as she was prevented from coming out of her Gulshan office to lead anti-government protests on the first anniversary of the last general election.

The BNP and its allies boycotted that poll on last year on Jan 5.

The UK has long been called for measures to break the cycle of violence during election time.

Gibson said: “The UK is committed to the future stability, development and prosperity of Bangladesh in which we are and will remain close partners.

“As I have said before, the extent of the current violence and disruption to the lives of all people in Bangladesh is distressing and deplorable.

“I have consistently called on all parties to fully consider the effects of their actions and resist from causing further damage to the country’s national interest,” he continued.

“In the long term, I hope that further confidence building measures can be taken that will ultimately break the habitual cycle of violence and disruption that appears to characterise elections in Bangladesh and which would allow all legitimate political activity to take place peacefully”.

The high commissioner, however, did not say specifically what he discussed with Khaleda in the meeting.

“I have taken the opportunity this evening to offer my personal sympathies to the Honourable Chairperson over the loss of her son Arafat Rahman Coco,” he said at the beginning of his statement.

Coco died on Jan 24 in Malaysia and after that Gibson, like many other diplomats, went to the office amid blockades to write in the condolence book opened there.

However, they did not meet her at the time.