Dialogue
No dialogue with those who burn people to death: Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud
Foreign Minister Dr. Hasan Mahmud today (January 15, 2024) firmly dismissed the possibility of engaging in discussions with those who instigate violence and anarchy in the nation.
"Dialogue is pointless with individuals who burn people alive and incite anarchy, rather than practicing legitimate politics," he declared to the press.
This strong statement came in response to inquiries about the Awami League's strategy to address challenges from the opposition party, BNP, in the upcoming days.
Read: Expats are our heroes; let’s work together to build Smart Bangladesh: FM
Dr. Mahmud, who also serves as the Awami League's joint secretary, emphasized the importance of this issue during a scheduled meeting of the Awami League central working committee, which will be attended by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
In a broader context of regional cooperation, Dr. Mahmud met with Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Pranay Verma. They discussed mutual support, particularly India's consistent backing of Bangladesh in maintaining a democratic trajectory.
“During the elections of 2014 and 2018, despite external attempts to stir controversy, India's support for our democratic process was unwavering,” Dr. Mahmud remarked.
Read: Indian, Sri Lankan FMs greet Hasan Mahmud; eye deepening ties with Bangladesh
Looking ahead, the Foreign Minister revealed plans for his first bilateral visit to India, accepting an invitation from his Indian counterpart, Dr. S Jaishankar. The visit aims to further strengthen diplomatic ties, with the exact date to be decided later. Additionally, Dr. Mahmud is set to embark on a multilateral tour to Uganda.
The meeting with the Indian High Commissioner marks Dr. Mahmud's first diplomatic engagement since assuming the office of Foreign Minister, highlighting his proactive approach in foreign affairs and regional cooperation.
PM Hasina urges G20 leaders to press for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, ensure humanitarian relief
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday (November 22, 2023) urged the G20 leaders to call with one voice for an instant ceasefire in Gaza and for an immediate, unhindered flow of humanitarian relief to the suffering victims.
The prime minister made the call speaking at the G20 Leaders’ Summit virtually from her official residence Ganabhaban.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted the virtual G20 leaders’ summit to deliberate on the implementation of the Delhi Declaration prior to concluding India’s presidency this month.
The G20 is a forum for international economic cooperation comprising 19 countries -Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the UK, the US - and the European Union.
Spain was invited as a permanent guest at the forum, while India included Bangladesh, Egypt, Mauritius, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates as guest countries during its presidency.
Hasina said that for over a month and a half, the world has been witnessing in Palestine a merciless, genocidal slaughter of thousands of men and women and tragically innocent children numbering over 10,000.
Read more: G20 agreement reflects sharp differences over Ukraine and the rising clout of the Global South
“All these monstrous acts have stunned the world, intensified global distress, and slowed worldwide economic progress,” she said.
She also mentioned that the current war in Europe with sanctions and counter-sanctions has taken a worldwide human and economic toll and continues to do so.
“In today’s globalized world, surely it would be easy to firmly say “NO” to all wars and conflicts to save human lives and humanity,” she said.
In this connection, she mentioned that a good beginning could be fostering good neighbourly relations and spreading their reach far around the globe.
“I am happy to draw your attention to Bangladesh and neighbour India’s excellent relations, which are recognised as a Role Model of Neighbourhood Diplomacy,” she said.
She said that neighbours can certainly resolve issues through friendly “Dialogue,” as Bangladesh and India have proven with their maritime and land boundaries.
The prime minister said that Bangladesh is committed to a peaceful and prosperous world.
“It has become our duty to ensure the wellbeing of everyone in our global family. In that spirit, I seek your earnest support for the repatriation of more than a million Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals (Rohingyas) from Bangladesh to Myanmar,” she said.
She hoped that the commitments that the nations have made at the G20 Summit will bear fruition and transform into concrete action.
“I also believe the Summit’s theme of ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’ will continue to inspire us to care for, protect, and make Planet Earth, our common home, a better place for our future generations,” she said.
PM Hasina said that she was heartened that the leaders agreed in New Delhi to strengthen Multilateral Development Banks to help Low-and Middle-Income countries address their development needs, particularly those related to Climate Action, Technological Transformation, Digital Public Infrastructure, and women-led development, which are imperative for a better future.
The meeting aims to provide an impetus to implement the Delhi Declaration unanimously agreed upon by all members at the 18th G20 leaders’ summit held in New Delhi in September.
During the closing session of the New Delhi summit on September 10, Modi had announced India would be hosting a virtual summit.
Leaders of the G20 nations, including the chair of the African Union, as well as nine guest countries, and heads of 11 international organisations have been invited to the meeting.
On December 1, India assumed the mantle of the G20 presidency.
India holds the G20 Presidency until November 30. The G20 troika during the Brazilian G20 presidency in 2024 will comprise India, Brazil and South Africa.
The new troika will be formed when Brazil assumes the presidency next month, with India as the past presidency and South Africa holding the presidency after Brazil.
The G20 members represent around 85 percent of the global GDP, over 75 percent of the global trade, and about two-thirds of the world population.
Read more: India forges compromise among divided world powers at the G20 summit in a diplomatic win for Modi
Try to figure out a way to have dialogue without pre-conditions: Peter Haas urges parties
The United States has reiterated that it remains neutral, without taking any side, and urged all political parties of Bangladesh to de-escalate and eschew violence and find ways for peaceful elections.
“We are on no particular political party’s side. We want free and fair elections conducted in a peaceful manner,” US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas told reporters today (November 15, 2023).
No scope for dialogue now: Quader acknowledges receiving Donald Lu’s letter from Peter Haas
He called upon all sides to de-escalate, eschew violence and try to figure out a way to have dialogue without pre-conditions to improve the election atmosphere.
Ambassador Haas made the remarks after a meeting with Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader at the Secretariat.
Peter Haas has requested meetings with senior leaders of 3 major parties: US Embassy
He said they delivered the same message to all political parties in Bangladesh, that the United States remains neutral ahead of the upcoming polls.
Earlier, Ambassador Haas requested meetings with senior leaders of the three major political parties to underscore the US position regarding the upcoming election.
Haas meets CEC, hopes all sides will engage in dialogue without preconditions
Meanwhile, US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller on Tuesday said, “We have consistently said that we believe elections in Bangladesh should be free and fair and open, and they should take place free of violence.”
No scope for dialogue now: Quader acknowledges receiving Donald Lu’s letter from Peter Haas
As Election Commission will announce the schedule of the next general election of Bangladesh any time, no scope is left for dialogue now, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader said today (November 15, 2023).
“We have urged BNP several times to consider dialogue with us, without any condition. But there is no scope right now,” he said.
The road transport and bridges minister came up with the remark while talking to reporters at the Secretariat.
Obaidul Quader condemns BNP for ‘spreading lies’ against PM
“We have received a letter from Donald Lu (US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs). US Ambassador Peter Haas was here to give us the letter this morning. We can respond (to the letter) after holding a discussion with the party chief, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina,” the AL leader said.
“I have read the letter, and it is about holding free, fair and neutral election,” he added.
Responding to a question, Quader said, “Those who believe in democracy can’t avoid dialogue. The EC is set to announce the polls schedule, so now there is no scope to hold a dialogue.”
UN is useless, says Obaidul Quader
Bangladesh’s Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal is set to address the nation and announce the schedule for the upcoming general election at 7 pm today (November 15, 2023), Election Commission has said.
CEC set to announce general election schedule at 7 pm today: EC
Bangladesh Television and Bangladesh Betar will broadcast the CEC’s speech in the evening, EC Secretary Jahangir Alam said while briefing reporters this morning.
12th nat’l election preparations: EC starts discussion with registered political parties
Election Commission (EC) today (November 04, 2023) started discussion with all registered political parties to inform them about preparations for the 12th parliamentary election.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal is presiding over the discussion at the Election Commission building in Dhaka’s Agargaon.
Thirteen registered parties have joined the discussion while three are not joining. Meanwhile, three parties did not inform the commission whether they will join or not. Ganatantri Party was not invited to the discussion.
The EC has scheduled two dialogue sessions daily. The first one began at 10:30 am today which will end at 1 pm, and another will be held from 3 pm to 4:30 pm.
The day-long discussion with the political parties is being held in two phases.The Election Commission invited the presidents and general secretaries of the parties or two representatives appointed by them for the dialogue.
Read: Elections can't be stopped by arson: Salman F Rahman
BNP and several of its allies, including the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Biplobi Workers Party, Bangladesh Kallyan Party, and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD), have decided not to participate in the Election Commission dialogue.
The Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), which is not in any alliance, is also boycotting the EC dialogue. Islamic Andolan Bangladesh, Khelafat Majlis, and Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis are among the Islamic parties that are boycotting the dialogue.
Awami League Presidium Member Lt Col (retd) Faruk Khan and Information and Research Secretary Salim Mahmud are representing the party in the dialogue, said the party's Office Secretary Biplab Barua.
Read: Now 11.96 crore voters in Bangladesh: EC
According to the constitution, parliamentary election must be held within 90 days before the end of the five-year term of parliament. The term of the current parliament ends on January 29, 2024 while the 90-day count starts from November 1, 2023.
The Election Commission said that it is preparing to announce the schedule of the national election in mid-November and hold the election in January.
Earlier in July 2022, the EC held a dialogue with the political parties to prepare the action plan for the 12th national election while few political parties including Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) did not attend the dialogue.
Read more: EC going to stage mockery in the name of dialogue at govt’s behest: BNP
US says it takes incidents of violence in Bangladesh very seriously, stresses importance of dialogue
The United States has said it is "closely monitoring" the electoral environment in Bangladesh leading up to January’s national election, and they take incidents of violence "very seriously".
At a regular briefing at the US Department of State on Tuesday (October 31, 2023), Spokesperson Matthew Miller said they are engaging and will continue to engage with the government, opposition, civil society, and other stakeholders to urge them to work together for the benefit of the Bangladeshi people, and to ensure free and fair elections that are conducted in a peaceful manner.
All political actors urged by UN rights body to shun violence
"We do believe that dialogue is important to achieving those goals," he said.
Miller said holding of free and fair elections is the responsibility of everyone - all political parties, voters, government, civil society, and the media.
BAF delegation visits India’s Dimapur
"And what we want in Bangladesh is the same thing the Bangladeshi people want, which are free and fair elections conducted in a peaceful manner," the US State Department spokesperson said.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal on Tuesday said the Election Commission has no option except to hold election on time as per the constitution.
“The EC has to hold the election on time, no matter what the situation is,” the CEC told journalists after his meeting with US Ambassador Peter Haas.
Responding to a question, US State Department Spokesperson Miller said, “Let me just say that we have made clear that we expect the Government of Bangladesh, as we expect every government, to comply with their obligations under the Vienna Conventions for the safe protection of diplomats.”
British high commissioner discusses upcoming elections with AL leaders
Haas meets CEC, hopes all sides will engage in dialogue without preconditions
US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas today (October 31, 2023) hoped that all sides going forward will engage in a “dialogue” without preconditions to de-escalate tensions and find a path forward to free, fair and peaceful elections.
“Political violence by any side has no place in democratic elections,” he said after his meeting with Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal at the EC office.
US Ambassador Haas also urged to avoid any action that undermines the democratic election process, including the use of violence, preventing people from exercising their rights to freedom of association, peaceful assembly, and internet access – calling to question the ability to conduct free and fair elections.
Read more: US says killing of a police officer and a political activist, burning a hospital and buses are unacceptable
Thanking the CEC for his time, the US ambassador said during their meeting, he urged for transparency and accountability in the Election Commission’s unique constitutional role in essential work towards organizing elections.
He said that free and fair elections, as they all know, happen over weeks and months before the actual day votes are cast.
US Ambassador Haas said voters, political parties, government, security forces, civil society, media and the Election Commission all are responsible regarding that.
Read more: CEC to meet president on Nov 5 regarding announcement of nat’l election schedule
Moderate rhetoric, engage in open dialogue on key election issues: IRI-NDI delegation
An International Republican Institute (IRI) and National Democratic Institute (NDI) joint delegation has said the upcoming national election in Bangladesh is a litmus test for democracy in the country.
“We feel the primary problem is lack of constructive engagement among key political actors,” said Karl F. Inderfurth (NDI Co-Chair) in a statement published today (October 15, 2023).
“The best way to end the stalemate is through good faith dialogue, in the run-up to the January 2024 elections and beyond.”
Also read: 'BNP kept no scope for compromise': Obaidul Quader to US delegation
From October 8 to 11, 2023, the International Republican Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) deployed a bipartisan, international delegation to provide an independent and impartial assessment of electoral preparations ahead of Bangladesh's upcoming 12th parliamentary election; examine factors that could affect the integrity and viability of the electoral process; and offer recommendations that could help improve the prospects for inclusive, transparent, and peaceful elections and public confidence in the process.
Bangladesh’s robust economic growth and strong tradition of democratic values have set a strong foundation for the country to achieve its 2041 vision of becoming a developed country, the delegation said.
However, they said, the current political environment presents several challenges to electoral integrity, including uncompromising and zero-sum politics, highly charged rhetoric, political violence, a widespread climate of uncertainty and fear, contracting civic space and freedom of expression, and a trust deficit among citizens, political leaders, and other stakeholders.
Also read: Credible polls not possible under current regime, BNP tells US pre-election assessment team
Women, youth, and other marginalized groups also face significant barriers to participation.
Bangladesh is at a crossroads and the upcoming elections provide a litmus test for the country’s commitment to a democratic, participatory, and competitive political process.
The delegation offered the recommendations below as a roadmap for progress toward credible, inclusive, participatory, and nonviolent elections that can advance Bangladesh’s democracy.
They are outlined as
· Moderate rhetoric and engage in open and substantive dialogue on key election issues.
· Protect freedom of expression and ensure an open civic space where dissent is respected.
· Commit to nonviolence and hold perpetrators of political violence accountable.
· Create conditions to allow all parties to engage in meaningful political competition, including bolstering independent election management.
· Promote a culture of inclusive and active electoral participation among citizens.
To develop these recommendations, the delegation met with government officials; the Bangladesh Election Commission; party leaders from across the political spectrum; civil society representatives; current and former women members of parliament; representatives of organizations engaging with youth, persons with disabilities and religious minorities; media representatives; members of the legal community; and representatives of the international and diplomatic communities.
Also read: PM Hasina vows to uphold democracy
“We appreciate all those who shared their views freely about the challenges and opportunities that exist in Bangladesh for holding inclusive, participatory, and nonviolent elections,” said Bonnie Glick (IRI Co-Chair)..
“We came away from these conversations with concerns about the election environment, but hopeful that our recommendations can help to improve the process.”
The delegation recognized that it is the people of Bangladesh who will ultimately determine the credibility and legitimacy of their elections and their country’s democratic development.
The delegation therefore offered this pre-election statement in the spirit of supporting and strengthening democratic institutions in Bangladesh.
Also read: US mission’s focus on free, fair, participatory polls: CEC
Members of the joint delegation included Bonnie Glick (IRI Co-Chair), Former Deputy USAID Administrator; Karl F. Inderfurth (NDI Co-Chair), Former Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs; Maria Chin Abdullah, Former Member of the House of Representatives, Malaysia; Jamil Jaffer, Former Associate Counsel to the President of the United States; Johanna Kao, IRI Senior Director, Asia-Pacific Division; and Manpreet Singh Anand, NDI Regional Director, Asia-Pacific. The delegates were joined by technical and country experts from NDI and IRI.
No dialogue with BNP over unrealistic proposals: Law Minister
There will be no dialogue with the BNP over any unrealistic proposals, said Law Minister Anisul Huq on Sunday (July 09, 2023).
“Election is the only solution and there will be no dialogue with the BNP on any unrealistic proposals, besides the prime minister has directly said that no dialogue will be held with them,” he said while talking to reporters after inaugurating a training course for judges and judicial officers at the Judicial Administration Training Institute (JATI).
Read more: No dialogue with BNP on caretaker govt: Info Minister
Talking about the RPO ('Representation of the People (Amendment) Bill, 2023 of the Election Commission, the power of EC was not curbed rather the rights of people are conserved through the amendment of RPO.
Replying to a question about the allegation raised by the BNP that the government has sent a letter to the justice and police to dispose of the cases against the BNP leaders and activities within two months, the law minister said “Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina-led government has established the rule of law and there is no doubt in it. If they (BNP) showed any letter over it then there will be discussion. I think they (BNP) are active in making false issues failing to find any other issue. I firmly said that neither any letter has been issued in this regard nor any verbal order.”
Read more: Law enforcers are being used to secure ruling party’s interests: Rizvi
Amu’s remark on dialogue has no importance to BNP: Fakhrul
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Wednesday (June 7, 2023) said they are not giving importance to Awami League advisory council member Amir Hossain Amu’s remark on dialogue to resolve political deadlock over the next general election,
Speaking at a press conference, he also said ruling party leaders’ contradictory comments on the talks with BNP have also manifested how the government has now become unnerved.
"I don't want to give importance to this issue. I don't even want to talk about it," the BNP secretary general said as journalists sought his comment on Amu’s comment on the dialogue.
Also read: Amu opens door for govt to hold talks with BNP on election issues
As some journalists approached Fakhrul for his comment on the issue later in the afternoon, he said he did not know whether Amu has been made the official spokesperson of Awami League. “Why should we give importance to his statement? I don't want to make any comment on it.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Amu said at a programme organised by the AL-led 14-party alliance at the AL headquarters on Bangabandhu Avenue that the door for dialogue with BNP is open.
“Let a representative of the UN come. We want to sit with the BNP face-to-face and see where the differences are,” he added.
Also read: US visa policy for Bangladesh an outcome of AL’s misrule: Fakhrul
Meanwhile, BNP senior leader Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said the ruling party leaders’ comments on talks are reckless.
Speaking at a programme at the Jatiya Press Club on Wednesday, he recalled that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina a few days back said there is no question of holding talks with BNP on election as it is a terrorist party.
“Amir Hossain Amu yesterday (Tuesday) said they’re ready to hold talks with BNP with the mediation of the UN. But Obaidul Quader (AL general secretary) today (Wednesday) trashed it. So, who is correct? In fact, they (AL leaders) have become unnerved and making reckless remarks,” the BNP leader said.
Also read: AL is yet to decide to hold dialogue with opposition on upcoming election: Quader
Mosharraf said Awami League will continue to be unorganised in the days to come as the party’s time is over. “People used to make unguarded comments when time is up.”
He also said the ruling party must quit power by handing over power to a non-party caretaker government, paving the way for holding a fair and credible election.