Govt diplomatically orphan, so it failed to end Rohingya crisis: BNP

The BNP has said that the government is 'an orphan diplomatically' and so it failed to resolve the Rohingya crisis by mounting diplomatic pressure on Myanmar.

"It is proved that the government is diplomatically an orphan," the party's leader Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said at a discussion in Dhaka on Saturday.

"Do you remember that the prime minister termed the Bangladesh-China diplomatic relations 'very high' during the Chinese president's Dhaka visit? After her India visit, she said Bangladesh's ties with the neighbour were as high as the Himalayas."    

"Now when the Rohingya crisis at its peak, neither China nor India is with Bangladesh," the BNP Standing Committee member said.

Khandaker Mosharraf also said the Myanmar Army would not be able to conduct genocide in Rakhine State if Bangladesh government beefed up diplomatic efforts fast and early.

He also expressed disappointment over no decision by the United Nations Security Council after being briefed by Bangladesh on the crisis.

He demanded financial sanctions on Myanmar to force them to take back the Rohingyas.

The discussion where he spoke was organised to remember late BNP leader ASM Hannan Shah on his first death anniversary.

At another programme, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir censured the government for its 'failure' to convince China and Russia to take the stand against Myanmar.

"It's unfortunate that our close friends have also taken Myanmar side," he said.