Hasina meets ‘vibrant’ British-Bangladeshi youngsters in London

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has spent a joyous evening with a new generation of Bangladeshi-British youngsters in London after wrapping up her visit to Scotland for COP26.

“The vibrant diaspora community remains at the centre of the partnership between Bangladesh and the UK,” the prime minister said at an event at the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on Wednesday organised by the British Asian Trust to mark the golden jubilee of Bangladesh’s independence.

British Minister Penny Morton, House of Lords member Jitesh Gadhia and British MPs of Bangladeshi origin Rushanara Ali, Rupa Haque and Apsana Begum were present at the event.

The prime minister, accompanied by her sister Sheikh Rehana, was overjoyed speaking to bright young representatives from the Bangladeshi-British diaspora community in London which included a broad range of talents - researchers, football players, musicians and entrepreneurs.

The youngsters, for their part, got the opportunity to have a friendly conversation with the premier in a relaxed setting. The prime minister was attentive to their talk and posed for photographs and selfies.

“We take pride in our diaspora,” she said.

“I am pleased to see there is growing representation of them in Westminster. All four of them (British MPs of Bangladeshi origin) are women too.”

Hasina said she is confident that the representation of the British Bangladeshi community in parliament will only grow in the future.

Hamza Choudhury, a British footballer of Bangladeshi origin, met Hasina at the event with his parents. The 24-year-old plays as a defensive midfielder for Premier League club Leicester City.

After taking a photograph with Hasina, Hamza said he was honoured to have the opportunity to meet the prime minister alongside his parents.

Sheikh Rehana, who was standing next to the premier, told the footballer that her son, Radwan Mujib Siddiq, was a fan of his.

Syed Nishat Monsur, a British singer, songwriter, guitarist, and pianist of Bangladeshi origin better known by his stage name Nish was also delighted by the opportunity to meet with the prime minister.

Sadia Khanom, a young British scientist of Bangladesh origin, met Hasina alongside her parents.

The 26-year-old researcher came to the limelight after developing “Voltique”, a disinfectant solution that has been deemed "ground-breaking" in the global fight against Covid-19. The spray attracts and kills all pathogens (viruses, bacteria, fungi and other microbes) on any surface it is applied to for 14 days.

Khanom had previously said that she received orders amounting to £10 million for Voltique from as many as 13 countries around the world.

Hasina left the event with hope, expressing her satisfaction with the successes of the new generation of British Bangladeshis in London.