POBNEWS24, Dhaka, April 28, 2022 : Lt. Col. Muhammad Faruk Khan, MP, Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs Ministry, highlighted the failures of embassies abroad regarding sanction on RAB, an elite force in Bangladesh.
While presiding over a meeting of the committee (Apr-27) Wednesday, he described the failure of the Bangladesh Embassy in Washington not to be informed earlier about the US sanctions against Bangladesh as a major failure.
He also accused the Bangladesh Embassies in Malaysia and Lebanon for their failure to carry out their duties properly.
He advised all missions, including USA-Europe, to work more sincerely and responsibly.
Regarding Bangladesh’s progress in lifting the embargo on RAB, Faruk Khan said, “We have had a meeting with the United States when explanation on RAB has been given. 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 make it clear that RAB is doing much better job. Punishment is being given in case of any wrongdoing.
Our point is that if something went wrong, everything necessary is being done to correct it. The United States has been told that the Bangladesh government will look into allegation of any disappearance incident if they have any specific information in this regard. It has also been said that if there is any problem, steps will be taken to improve it, he added.
Referring to utilization of influences of the friendly countries in lifting the sanction, he said we spoke of utilizing two friendly countries in this regard. The foreign minister told that he had spoken to India. The minister also spoke with the Japanese Foreign Minister. The Japanese foreign minister has promised to look into the matter. We are also talking in diplomatic channels to utilize the influences of other countries.
During the meeting, DG of USA wing at Foreign Ministry Fayaz Murshid Kazi said that there was no opportunity for any formal talks with the Foreign Ministry of USA or the Washington Mission after the Biden government came to power due to Covid-19. The United States has done it in secret manner without raising the issue of sanctions against the RAB in any forum.
Attending the meeting, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said that 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 letters from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in time. Recently, some information has been received from the Ministry of Home Affairs, he said.
He said Bangladesh missions abroad work as lobbyists. But the lobbyist firms employed in exchange of 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 take time. However, he noted that the Foreign Ministry and its missions were working hard to combat the propaganda.
Meanwhile the committee discussed pressure from the United States as well as from 0the 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 that we should continue discussions with the United States on the ban on RAB. The allegations have to be clarified with facts and figures. They should be informed that none of this happened intentionally.
The meeting discussed in detail about the political and economic impacts on Bangladesh due to Russia-Ukraine war.
Members of Parliamentary Committee Habib A. Millat, Fahim Razzak and Foreign Secretary Sabbir Ahmed attended the meeting held at Sangsad Bhaban.
