Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Thursday said the government was not under any outside pressure over January’s general election.
"Rather, we are under our own pressure to hold a free and fair election," he said while talking to reporters after an event in Dhaka.
"We want the people’s verdict… we want many people to go to the polling centres to cast their votes. This is our pressure," he said.
The statement came as the US continues to make its call for free and fair polls in Bangladesh, having also announced a visa policy for that.
The foreign minister, however, claimed that the US does not like what the opposition BNP is doing.
“It’s because America doesn't like violence”, he said.
"America is a democratic country. They did not see a democratic mindset in them (BNP)," he said.
"We believe in democracy. We (Awami League) do not have any mental distance from the US," he said.