Arya News - Speaking at a roundtable at the Dhaka Reporters Unity, BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed urged authorities to reassess the decision to avoid what he termed "international embarrassment" for Bangladesh.
DHAKA – BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed yesterday called for a review of the three-year agreement signed with the United Nations to establish a Human Rights Office in Dhaka.
Speaking at a roundtable at the Dhaka Reporters Unity in the capital, he urged the authorities to reassess the decision to avoid what he termed “international embarrassment” for Bangladesh.
Hefazat-e-Islam organised the event, where several other political and religious organisations also criticised the interim government’s move to open the mission without consulting political parties.
Salahuddin said if the decision had been taken through broader political discussions, it would not have sparked controversy.
“The interim government’s decision to allow the establishment of a United Nations Human Rights Commission office in Bangladesh, without any political dialogue, is not justified,” he said.
Referring to past incidents of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, Salahuddin said the actual death toll from the 2013 Shapla Chattar crackdown has yet to be acknowledged.
While recognising the need to address rights violations, he questioned the compatibility of Western human rights standards in the context of Bangladesh’s society and religious values.
“The Chittagong Hill Tracts issue is also there. If the UN uses human rights as a pretext in a way that could compromise the country’s territorial integrity, it must be taken seriously,” Salahuddin also said.
He also expressed concern over the global role of the UN Human Rights Commission, saying, “The human rights situation in Bangladesh is concerning, but what is happening in Gaza is far worse. In Palestine, Arakan, and other places, Muslims are facing severe oppression. Yet we do not see any significant action from the UN Human Rights Commission there.”
He mentioned that although the UN office has been approved for a three-year term, a review will take place after one or two years. He said the next elected government would decide whether to renew the agreement, and advised the interim government to thoroughly reassess the matter before implementation.
Hefazat’s Secretary General Sajidur Islam said the move goes against “the values of Islam” and promotes “western hegemony”.
Its Joint Secretary General Mamunul Haque said, “Issues involving religion and national sovereignty require scrutiny and input from Hefazat-e-Islam.”
AB Party Chairman Mujibur Rahman Monju alleged that UN Women has long promoted western values in Bangladesh.
Gono Odhikar Parishad President Nurul Haque Nur said, “A pro-American government is running the country now. Making such decisions without any discussion is a form of authoritarianism.”
Jahangir Alam of the National Democratic Party; Col (retd) Mohammad Abdul Haque, chairman of Retired Armed Forces Officers Welfare Association; Inqilab journalist Munshi Abdul Mannan; and Rezaul Karim Abrar, president of Bangladesh Mujahid Committee, also spoke, among others.