Eyeing at the upcoming general elections in Bangladesh, which is expected to be help by January 9, 2024, Biden administration clearly is intensifying its efforts of overthrowing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government either through an engineered election or by staging coup d’état with the active connivance of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI).
Meanwhile, on April 11 2023, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken invited Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister AK Abdul Moment at the State Department, where they held a lengthy meeting mainly discussing the upcoming general elections, although the US State Department in its press statement said:
“Secretary of State Antony Blinken met yesterday with Bangladesh’s Minister for Foreign Affairs A.K. Abdul Momen. The Secretary thanked Bangladesh for hosting Rohingya refugees and highlighted the nearly $2.1 billion in US humanitarian assistance since 2017, which includes $23.8 million in new assistance to the World Food Program to deliver urgent food and nutrition services to Rohingya refugees. He reiterated our commitment to promoting inclusive economic growth, free and fair elections, human and labor rights, and freedom of expression in Bangladesh.
“Additionally, Secretary Blinken expressed concerns about violence against and intimidation of the media and civil society, including under the Digital Security Act. He underscored that free and fair elections and respect for human rights in Bangladesh are critical as we seek to deepen our bilateral relationship”.
According to a press release issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh Ambassador to the US Muhammad Imran, Deputy Head of Mission Ferdousi Shahriar, Director General (North America) Khandker Masudul Alam, and officials of the Bangladesh Embassy in Washington and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were present in the meeting. Counselor Derek Chollet, Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration Julieta Valls Noyes, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Kara McDonald, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Afreen Akhter accompanied Blinken in the meeting.
Following the meeting, Antony Blinken in a tweet said: “I underscored that free and fair elections and respect for human rights, media, and civil society are critical as we seek to deepen US-Bangladeshi ties”.
I met with @BDMOFA’s Foreign Minister Momen and expressed appreciation to Bangladesh for hosting Rohingya refugees. I underscored that free and fair elections and respect for human rights, media, and civil society are critical as we seek to deepen U.S.-Bangladeshi ties. pic.twitter.com/aotQtIXh2P
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) April 11, 2023
In his statement US State Department’s principal deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel said that the secretary [Blinken] “reiterated our commitment to promoting inclusive economic growth, free and fair elections, human and labor rights, and freedom of expression in Bangladesh. Additionally, Secretary Blinken expressed concerns about violence against and intimidation of the media and civil society, including under the Digital Security Act [DSA]. He underscored that free and fair elections and respect for human rights in Bangladesh are critical as we seek to deepen our bilateral relationship”. At a separate media briefing, Vedant Patel termed the DSA “one of the world’s most draconian laws for journalists”.
Earlier, US ambassador to Bangladesh, Peter Haas met ruling Awami League General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader to discuss about holding free and fair elections in Bangladesh.
Ambassador Haas met with Minister Obaidul Quader, Awami League General Secretary, and discussed free and fair elections in Bangladesh and the range of important work the United States and Bangladesh share, from trade, to people-to-people ties, to security cooperation. pic.twitter.com/jfwIRgosEJ
— U.S. Embassy Dhaka (@usembassydhaka) March 22, 2023
Biden administration’s love for Jamaat
On its ‘2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Bangladesh’, which was released recently, the US State Department has openly advocated in favor of Jamaat-e-Islami stating: “Leaders and members of Jamaat-e-Islami (Jamaat), the largest Muslim political party in the country, could not exercise their constitutional freedoms of speech and assembly because of harassment by law enforcement authorities. Jamaat was deregistered as a political party by the government, prohibiting candidates from seeking office under the Jamaat name”.
Through this statement, the US State Department once again reminded every patriotic citizen of Bangladesh about America’s unified role with JeI during Bangladesh’s war of independence in 1971, where America had openly sided with Pakistani occupation forces despite the fact that Pakistan was committing genocide in Bangladesh, where three million Bengalis were murdered, and hundreds and thousands of girls and women raped by the members of Pakistani forces and their local collaborators, including leaders and members of Jamaat-e-Islami.
BNP leaders want to meet Antony Blinken
At the advice of BNP’s acting chairman and a convicted fugitive Tarique Rahman, top brasses of the party are currently pursuing with the US State Department for holding a meeting with Antony Blinken. According to a credible source, during the meeting, BNP leaders are going to seek Blinken’s support in exerting his influence on Awami League government for holding the next general election under a caretaker government, which BNP sees as an excellent opportunity for returning to power. This meeting may take place within the next few months – most possibly by August this year.
During their US tour, BNP leaders are also going to hold two press conferences – one at the Washington Press Club and another in New York City, where they are planning to circulate information on corruption and human rights violations of the Awami League government.
On condition of anonymity the same source said, “Biden administration is pushing forward its blueprint of regime change in Bangladesh as the US looks for increasing its influence in the South Asian region over India and China”.
