Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Friday thanked the people and government of India for their support in ensuring a free, fair, and transparent election in Bangladesh to safeguard democracy, the media reported.
Mahmud, presently on a three-day bilateral visit to New Delhi at the invitation of his Indian counterpart Dr. S. Jaishankar, conveyed these sentiments during a press conference at the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF), a think tank based in New Delhi.
“It is a fact that the Indian people and government stood beside us like in 1971 during our War of Liberation to protect our democracy although there were many ploys to destabilize the election process,” he said.
This marks Hasan's first-ever official trip to India and his first bilateral visit to any nation since taking office as Bangladesh's new foreign minister in January 2024.
The event, moderated by Dr Arvind Gupta, the Director of VIF, featured the distinguished presence of Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Md. Mustafizur Rahman, along with diplomats, research fellows, academics, and journalists.
He remarked that the recently concluded election in Bangladesh was characterised by positivity, liveliness, and active participation, creating a festive atmosphere.
“I would say our election was a good election in the history of Bangladesh and in the context of the Indian sub-continent …Election was ours and our people had exercised their rights of franchise freely”, he noted.
Regarding minority concerns in Bangladesh, he affirmed that the country's minority communities have been exercising their rights. He attributes this positive situation to the secular stance upheld by their party, the Bangladesh Awami League, where secularism serves as a fundamental principle.
Nevertheless, he acknowledged the existence of extremist forces who not only abstain from supporting the Awami League but also make concerted efforts to disrupt societal stability.
He added that the current government in Bangladesh, led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has taken decisive measures to counteract those elements seeking to undermine society under the guise of religion.
The diplomacy chief dismissed the claim that the population of religious minorities was on the decline in Bangladesh, stating, “I don’t agree with the data provided to you in this regard. Rather, the percentage of minority people is increasing gradually in Bangladesh like the majority people”.