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shipments to the US to 19 percent from 37 percent, but Bangladesh committed to purchasing $22 billion worth of goods from the US over 15 years along with “poison pill” provisions and other coercive clauses such as curbs on trade deals or purchases from non-market economies.

“Could you sustain with a 37 percent tariff if we did not sign the deal? Compare what we have gained and what others got,” said Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman.

Earlier, Khalilur had said the two major political parties -- the BNP and Jamaat -- had given consent to the trade deal before it was signed.

The agreement has both “entry” and “exit” clauses and does not become effective until notification. Bangladesh can exit with a 60-day notice.

During the meeting with US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs S Paul Kapur on March 4, Khalilur requested the US official to lower the tariff on Bangladesh as the US Supreme Court had cancelled the tariffs on different countries imposed by US President Donald Trump.

Asked about the introduction of a resolution calling for recognising the 1971 genocide in Bangladesh, Shama said the BNP government will pursue it.

“The government has taken an initiative to observe March 25. Our independence day on March 26 is a very significant day for Bangladesh. We will pursue it,” she said.

Democratic Congressman Greg Landsman of Ohio submitted the resolution in the US House of Representatives on March 20. It outlines historical events leading up to and during the 1971 Liberation War, citing widespread killings, sexual violence and targeted persecution of religious minorities.

The resolution recounts how the Pakistani military, alongside allied groups, launched a crackdown on March 25, 1971, under “Operation Searchlight”, following the electoral victory of the Awami League led by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

It references reports, including dispatches by US Consul General Archer Blood, who described the violence as “selective genocide”.