The House Sub-committee on Asia Pacific, led by Congressman Matt Salmon, said so on Thursday in a hearing titled ‘Bangladesh’s Fracture: Political and Religious Extremism’.
Salmon said that such situations put to risk the democratic process and both BNP and Awami League would suffer. “So the two major parties should realise the dilemma and sit in dialogue for the sake of democracy.”
Illinois State University’s chairman of politics and government department, Ali Riaz, said dialogue and consensus amongst political parties is essential.
For that to happen it is a must to “ensure fairly acquired democratic mandate”, “erosion of fundamental rights be stopped”, “constitutional parties are restored”, “freedom of assembly, movement and speech guaranteed in the constitution be adhered to in essence and to the letter.
He also said “Unaccountable and excessive use of the state’s coercive power including extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearance be brought to an end; All parties, including the opposition parties, unequivocally renounce violence as a means to achieve political goals; Institutions to protect the fundamental rights of the citizens including exercising the right to vote freely be strengthened.”
Another speaker, Jay Kansara, Hindu American Foundation’s director of government relations, urged “both the Bangladesh and US governments declare JamaateIslami and Islami Chhatra Shibir as illegal organisation and Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) respectively.”
He also called for bar on US entry of Jamaat officials and probe their members living in the US for ‘violations of religious freedom’.
“The US should condition all future economic and military aid to Bangladesh only after robust monitoring by the State Department and Congress indicates improved conditions for religious and ethnic minorities.
“The US should encourage Bangladesh to induct more religious minority community members in government administrative and military services, particularly at the officer level, as a specific condition for aid.”
Grace Meng, a key member of the subcommittee, said her country would always stand besides Bangladesh in upholding the rule of law in line with democratic practices.
She also pointed out that, even though Bangladesh had done some work for overall development of the garments sector, it had failed the target to ensure workers’ rights to unions and develop work conditions.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s ambassador in Washington Mohammad Ziauddin met Congressman Matt Salmon on Wednesday at the Capitol Hill.
The ambassador briefed Bangladesh’s socio-economic development and political situation to the Congressman.
He also mentioned that the city corporations’ elections on Apr 28 were held in “a free, fair and credible manner”.