Euro Parliament team meets Khaleda

A delegation of the European Parliament's Subcommittee on Human Rights Tuesday expressed its concern over the political violence in Bangladesh and stressed the need for an immediate cessation of all hostilities.
The six-member team of the subcommittee led by its vice-chair Cristian Dan Preda voiced concern when they met with BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia at her Gulshan office.
During the meeting, they also discussed the latest political and human rights situation across the country.
Although no one of the delegation members said anything to media, party sources said they voiced concern over the political violence and hoped that there would be an end to the current situation with the restoration of normalcy.
They stressed the need for resolving the differences through non-violent and responsible political expression, the sources added.
The BNP chairperson handed over a list of people, who were killed, missing or injured during the political violence especially by the repressive measures taken by the government, to the delegation, the sources said.
Khaleda Zia who has been staying at her office for nearly one and a half months was assisted by party's standing committee member Nazrul Islam Khan and her adviser Abdul Kaiyum during the meeting that lasted for more than an hour.
The delegation members who arrived in Dhaka Monday on a five-day official visit to Bangladesh will monitor humanitarian issues, countrywide violence, extrajudicial killings, labour rights and latest political developments.
During their stay, they will also meet Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, Law Minister Anisul Huq and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam.
Besides, the delegation will hold talks with civil society members, NGO activists and other stakeholders.
In last two decades, it is the first tour of the European Parliament's Subcommittee on Human Rights. On return to Brussels, they will submit a report to the committee.
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