Dhaka, April 28 (FN Agency) At a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs Thursday , Lt. Col. Faruk Khan MP, as the chairman of the committee, highlighted certain failures. Muhammad Faruk Khan described the failure of the Bangladesh Embassy in Washington to be informed about the US sanctions against Bangladesh as a major failure. He also accused the Malaysian and Lebanese embassies of failing to carry out their duties properly. He advised all missions, including the US-Europe, to work more actively and responsibly. Regarding Bangladesh’s progress in lifting the RAB ( Rapid Action Battalion) ban, Faruk Khan said, “We have had a meeting with the United States.” RAB has been explained there. In any country of the world, one or two mistakes can be made in such a context. By and large we have been able to understand that the RAB is doing a much better job. Punishment is being provided for any wrongdoing. “Our point is that if something goes wrong, everything needs to be done to correct it,” he said. The United States has been told that the Bangladesh government will look into any disappearances. It has also been said that if there is any problem, steps will be taken to improve it. he added He spoke in support of the US Alliance, but said maintaining some independence was not the answer.
The foreign minister said he had spoken to India. He spoke with the Japanese Foreign Minister. The Japanese foreign minister has promised to look into the matter. We are also talking in diplomatic channels about the influence of other countries. The meeting discussed in detail the political and economic impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on Bangladesh. During the meeting, DG Fayaz Murshid Kazi of the US Wing of the Foreign Ministry said there was no opportunity for any formal talks with the Foreign Ministry and the Washington Mission after the Biden government came to power due to Covid-19. The United States has done so in secret, without raising the issue of sanctions against the RAB in any forum. During the meeting, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said a number of development partners, including the United States and the European Union, had written to Bangladesh seeking information on disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and cases against journalists under the Digital Security Act. But due to lack of information from the Ministry of Home Affairs, it was not possible to reply to the letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in time. Recently, some information has been received from the Ministry of Home Affairs. He said Bangladesh missions abroad work as lobbyists.
But the lobbyist firms employed by the money are more influential because the embassy officials do not have a close relationship with the lawmakers of that country. On the other hand, there is the question of accountability in spending government money, as there are restrictions on hiring lobby firms abroad by spending huge sums of money, said Momen. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam said the lifting of sanctions against the RAB would be a matter of time. However, he noted that the Foreign Ministry and its missions were working hard to combat the propaganda. The committee, meanwhile, discussed pressure from the United States as well as the European Union on labor laws. Therefore, there is a risk that the EU’s GSP facility will be reduced. In this context, the parliamentary committee has suggested to work deeply on the two issues. After the meeting, committee chairman Muhammad Faruk Khan told reporters that the United States had imposed sanctions on some RAB officials. They are also talking about labor rights. The European Union has also started talking about labor rights. We have to think about these two issues. Regarding the recommendations of the parliamentary committee, the president said we should continue discussions with the United States on the ban on RAB. The allegations have to be clarified with facts and figures. It should be noted that none of this is happening intentionally. Members of Parliamentary Committee Habib A. Millat, Fahim Razzak and Foreign Secretary Sabbir Ahmed addressed the meeting.