DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENT

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will not cave in to “any external pressure or internal conspiracy to derail the nation”, said Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen and his deputy Shahriar Alam yesterday.

They said the government is determined to hold the next general election in a free, fair and transparent manner under an independent Election Commission.

They made the remarks at a seminar titled “Promotion and Protection of Human Rights: Bangladesh Perspectives,” organised by the foreign ministry at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital, marking the International Human Rights Day.

Foreign diplomats including US Ambassador Peter Haas, UK High Commissioner Robert Chatterton Dickson, EU Ambassador Charles Whiteley, Sweden Ambassador Alex Berg von Linde and the Maldives High Commissioner Shiruzimath Sameer, among others, were present at the event.

The ministers noted the joint statement issued by 15 diplomatic missions on December 7 reaffirming the importance of a free, fair, inclusive and peaceful electoral process in Bangladesh.

Momen said Bangladesh saw a phenomenal rise in militant activities and violence during the BNP-Jamaat rule, and that dozens of AL leaders and activists were killed and injured in a grenade attack in 2004.

He said the AL government made significant socio-economic strides over the last decade, while militancy has notably declined.

Momen said there could be some weaknesses in terms of human rights and democratic practices, and that no country, including the US, was without drawbacks. Therefore, he said, instead of naming and shaming, cooperation and collaboration were needed to improve the situation.