Despite the US visa restrictions against Bangladeshi individuals, the government high-ups here appear to be unperturbed as they said on Saturday that they were not worried about the measure against the ones who blocked the process of holding a free and fair election in Bangladesh.
Prime Minister's Private Industry and Investment Adviser Salman F Rahman said the visa restrictions was a good step as it was the opposition political parties which are talking about creating impediment to holding a free and fair general election, not the government.
"They (US) have said that those who will create obstruction on the way for holding a free and fair election will face visa restrictions. So, we think it is good for us because our government is committed to hold free and fair elections," he said.
He made the remarks while talking to journalists, following the inaugural session of a three-day international conference at a city hotel.
"It is the opposition which is plotting to impede the election," said Mr Salman. "Leaders of a major opposition political party have been publicly saying that they will resist any attempt to hold general elections under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. So, it is them who should be worried over the US visa restrictions."
Responding to a question, he said the visa restrictions will not affect the bilateral trade between the USA and Bangladesh, and it will also not impact Bangladesh RMG exports to the US market.
"We have entered into the US market through our competitiveness, not through any special facilities given by the US. Bangladesh gets duty-free market access to countries like the UK, Canada, Australia, India and the EU, but it has to pay 15 per cent duty in exporting our RMG to the US market," he mentioned.
Meanwhile in a hurriedly-called press briefing at his residence, state minister for foreign affairs M Shahriar Alam on Friday night said the government is not worried about the US visa restriction as Washington started imposing it on Bangladeshi individuals responsible for, or complicit in, undermining the country's democratic election process.
"We have nothing to lose, we are not worried about it because we are not doing anything wrong," he told reporters. He, however, called the development "not a pleasing experience" but added "we have to go through it".
Mr Alam said Washington has informed Dhaka regarding their decision under the new US policy which, the USA said, was aimed to support Bangladesh's goal of holding free, fair, and peaceful national elections.
Asked if Dhaka had approached the US to enforce the policy after the Bangladesh elections, He replied in the negative and said Dhaka had never approached Washington with any such request.
"Earlier, some political parties tried to establish that the (US) visa restriction will be imposed only on the ruling political party, but the US today again made it clear that the new policy is applicable to both the ruling and opposition political parties," he said.
Alam said the government expected that the US government would implement the new visa restriction policy after properly reviewing facts and figures in a fair way.
"If it appears that we are facing troubles in carrying out our (government) works for imposition of visa restriction on any particular individual, Dhaka will discuss such cases with Washington," he said.
The state minister said Washington gave Dhaka an idea about how many individuals came under its visa restrictions and "what I can tell you is that the number is small".
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