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Published : 17 Aug 2023, 12:44 AM
The United States is pressuring Bangladesh on holding free and fair elections and safeguarding human rights because it is driven by a desire to gain control over the Bay of Bengal, Sheikh Hasina has said.
The prime minister believes the Americans want to destabilise the region by leveraging Bangladesh.
“Bangladesh’s election and democracy are not America’s objective,” she said at a discussion in Dhaka on Wednesday.
“They want to create a situation in Bangladesh by using democracy and elections as a pretext to gain control over the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal region.”
“Some are making excuses to attack and destroy other countries. Numerous conspiracies revolve around this region.”
Amid bolstered activities of the West to make Bangladesh hold a free and fair general election by January 2024 and protect human rights, Hasina said in an interview with the BBC in May that the United States might not want her, or the progress her government made, to continue.
Washington has imposed sanctions on the Rapid Action Battalion of Bangladesh, alleging gross violation of human rights by the force.
The US Department of State also threatened a visa ban on Bangladeshis who undermine the democratic process in the country.
MP Rashed Khan Menon, the president of the Workers Party of Bangladesh, earlier claimed in parliament that the United States had eyes on Saint Martin’s Island, making it a topic of discussion.
Addressing the matter in June, Hasina said the BNP rose to power in 2001 with the promise of ‘selling gas’ and questioned whether the opposition party was looking for votes by promising to sell off the country or St Martin’s Island.
She said she had no intention of clinging to power at the expense of the country's resources.
The Department of State later brushed off talk of a potential US takeover of the island, describing such claims as “inaccurate”.
Speaking at the discussion on Wednesday, Hasina highlighted Bangladesh’s achievements in development under the Awami League government and said: “They [the US] want to hinder Bangladesh’s development.”
She said her government brought back peace to the Chattogram Hill Tracts but conspirators are trying to create anarchy there by removing her from power.
The prime minister said she asked State Department officials during her US visit how they support a party like the BNP whose leader Tarique Rahman is convicted of plotting the deadly Aug 21, 2004 grenade attack targeting Hasina.
She criticised the US for sheltering Rashed Chowdhury, a self-proclaimed killer of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, before asking: “How does a country that shelters killers speak about human rights, elections and transparency?"
