Look Yourself In The Mirror before Talking About Bangladesh: Dhaka to London

AK Abdul Momen, the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh, made a harsh remark in response to the UK Government’s report on Monday. He reckoned the Government should look at their “own face” before wrongly advising Bangladesh with incorrect information.

“This is not acceptable. They should stop this practice,” he spoke to a small number of journalists in response to some US issues and the UK report.

Momen denied accepting that the BNP chief Khaleda Zia was kept in captivity. He asserted that the information in the report was incorrect.

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) released the 2020 Human Rights and Democracy Report on Thursday. 

The foreign minister referred to rape cases and stated that Bangladesh has 9,000 rape cases each year. However, the UK had 733,000 rape victims last year, despite having a population that is half the size of Bangladesh.

“It’s good for us if they provide an informative report, otherwise it’ll appear as a motivated one,” stating that the UK should consider looking in the mirror first before pointing the finger at others. 

Momen also stated that there were 85,000 cases of rape in the US last year. Yet, they offer Bangladesh advice. “This isn’t acceptable.”

He stated that Dhaka’s acting British high commissioner admitted in favour of the objectiveness of the report. 

“You start writing reports about them. None is an angel. But, blaming someone is not a good mentality. If it is accurate, we will try to correct it,” Momen said.

The Issue

Bangladesh protested to the UK on Sunday that the use of the word “house arrest” was “grossly misleading” concerning BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s present situation.

Javed Patel, the acting British high commissioner, was summoned by Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry to express disappointment at specific issues in the Bangladesh chapter of Human Rights Report 2020.

Javed Patel was informed that Khaleda’s brother pleaded for her release from prison. The government had suspended Khaleda’s sentence under the Code of Criminal Procedure 1898 and “released her” in March 2020. She would need to receive home medication with no overseas travel.

The government stated that her initial six-month suspension of sentence and release from jail, which was only applicable for six months, was extended twice more in September 2020 and March 2021.

Patel was advised by the government authorities to consult them during such conflicts of interest. 

Further, it was suggested that any official document issued by the UK government should not contain any misleading or insinuating statements about Bangladesh’s government or ruling party, the Awami League.

The government also expressed their issues about the temporary shelter that Bangladesh provides for Rohingyas.

The Message

Officials from the Foreign Ministry reiterated their government’s position regarding specific terminologies that were a part of the report to refer to Bangladesh. These terminologies are not internationally accepted or recognized by Bangladesh’s laws.

Javed Patel noted the concerns of the government and promised to convey them to FCDO officials.

He stated that the UK values its diverse partnership with Bangladesh and would continue to engage in constructive dialogue about human rights and governance issues using the existing mechanisms.

He acknowledged Bangladesh as a “maturing democracy” and stated that the UK government didn’t take sides with any political party in the country.

Both sides recognized how crucial it is to cite authentic sources in reports and documents.

The director-general for West Europe and EU at the Foreign Office interacted with British High Commission officials.

Conclusion

Every year, thousands of people from both nations travel to and fro due to travel and business reasons. UK citizens are required to change their name on the British Passport if they recently changed their name using a deed poll. 

Both the parties understand the importance of business and other relations and settled after the meeting concerning Khaleda Zia. 

However, the statement by Momen clarified that the government would not tolerate any incorrect information of their domestic happenings to the World. The summoning of the UK’s acting British high commissioner is a testament to their strict and no-tolerance policies.