Bangladesh ambassador in US briefs two Republican congressmen on anti-terrorism measures

Bangladesh’s Ambassador in the US Mohammad Ziauddin has met two Republican leaders in Washington and briefed them on his government’s anti-terror measures.

The meetings on Tuesday with Congressman Robert Dold and Congressman Matt Salmon at their offices came on the heel of the July 1 terror attack in which 17 foreigners were killed, among others.

The embassy said the ambassador highlighted the prime minister’s ‘zero tolerance’ policy against all forms of terrorism and violent extremism.

He underscored that Sheikh Hasina being a victim of terrorism herself had been steering the country with a determined leadership to eliminate terrorism and violent extremism.

He briefed them on the mutual cooperation between Bangladesh and the US in countering terrorism and extremism through capacity-building.

The ambassador also mentioned that secularism was one of the founding principles of Bangladesh and that “Jamaat-e-Islam under direct patronage of BNP has been actively involved in acts of terror and violence for the last four decades”.

He expressed his deep shock at the recent gun shooting in Dallas which took away lives of five police officers.

Congressman Dold appreciated counter-terrorism measures taken by the Hasina government and commented that US would like “to see Bangladesh tomorrow a stronger country than today”.

Congressman Salmon offered condolences for the terrorist attack in Holey Artisan Bakery in Gulshan, and praised the security agencies involved in rescuing hostages.

He appreciated the culture of tolerance in Bangladesh and remarked that “all need to act together to uproot terrorism from society”.

The ambassador also discussed bilateral trade issue and sought Bangladeshi products’ duty-free access to the US market.