Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader said that the government wants to make the next national election free and fair, so they will definitely resist those who obstruct the election.
He said this after the Awami League leaders and activists paid tribute to poet Kazi Nazrul Islam on his 124th birth anniversary at Kabir Samadhi in Dhaka University Thursday morning.
Obaidul Quader, also road transport and bridges minister, said that the government will provide all kinds of support to the Election Commission in organizing free and fair elections.
He also said that those who set fire to buses and vandalized buses in the name of agitation were involved in political violence. They will have to pay for it.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam commented that the new visa policy announcement by the US government is not a fresh sanction on the incumbent government. Rather, BNP should be worried as violence before or during elections is another criterion that will trigger visa restriction.
The Awami League leader said the government is not bothered by the fresh visa policy as it is committed to a free and fair national election.
Abu Sayeed Al Mahmood Sopon, organizing secretary of Awami League, told Dhaka Tribune: “This decision of America is not a negative one for Bangladesh. They are an independent country. It is entirely up to them to grant visas to their country. However, making such comments about the electoral process of an independent country goes beyond the scope of diplomatic etiquette.”
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is committed to holding free, impartial and participatory elections in Bangladesh. She is determined to uphold people's rights, he added.
He called upon the US authorities to uphold the rights of everyone, including former presidents, in their own country.
The United States on Wednesday announced a new visa policy to promote free and fair elections in Bangladesh.
"Under this policy, we can impose visa restrictions on individuals and their immediate family members if they are responsible for, or complicit in, undermining the democratic election process in Bangladesh," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced.
This includes current and former Bangladeshi officials, members of pro-government and opposition political parties, and members of law enforcement, the judiciary, and security services.
The US notified the Bangladeshi government of this decision on May 3, Secretary of State Antony J Blinken said in a statement on Wednesday.