The government has decided to respond positively to a US offer to engage the FBI to investigate the motive for the murder of writer and blogger Avijit Roy.
Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali disclosed the matter while briefing members of the diplomatic corps on the current political situation yesterday, according to a Foreign Ministry press release.
He categorically stated that there was no room for engagement with entities that resorted to terror tactics in the name of political activities.
He said the BNP-Jamaat alliance was inciting extremist ideologies in order to challenge the democratic, non-communal and non-confrontational ethos of the country.
Stressing that violence does not have any place in a democracy, he said throwing petrol bombs at passenger vehicles was akin to terror tactics used by IS and other militant groups.
Mahmood said the government was committed to containing the violence and ensuring the protection of the public from indiscriminate attacks.
The foreign minister noted concerns raised by the UN, US and EU in the aftermath of the killing of Avijit Roy by as yet unidentified assailants.
He briefed the heads of missions about the latest trends in the violence perpetrated by the BNP-Jamaat combine and urged the international community to unequivocally condemn atrocities perpetrated in the name of enforcing the blockade.
The diplomatic envoys attending the briefing urged the return of calm and stability in order to sustain the momentum of Bangladesh’s impressive socio-economic development gains.
A joint press release of different embassies in Dhaka said the envoys had called for an end to the current violence at the meeting.
They encouraged confidence-building measures – including the de-escalation of the political conflict – in the interest of fostering safety, stability, growth, human rights and democracy in the country, the press release said.
The release was issued by Australia, Canada, Denmark, EU, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, the Republic of Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Advisers to the Prime Minister HT Imam and Gowher Rizvi, and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam were present at the briefing and participated in the exchange with the envoys.
The foreign secretary and other senior officials of the Foreign Ministry were also present.