Visiting US Under-Secretary for Political Affairs Wendy R Sherman cancelled her meeting on Monday with opposition leader and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia due to Sunday’s hartal.
Asked the reason behind the cancellation of the meeting at the last moment, she said: “My schedule required me to make some changes…I met with the opposition leader last time I was in Dhaka.”
After a function at a city hotel, she said: “I was rather surprised when I arrived [Sunday] to see a hartal was underway.”
Sherman was scheduled to hold a meeting with Khaleda Zia on Monday, apart from holding a meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, reports UNB.
The US top official arrived Dhaka on Sunday to attend the second US-Bangladesh Partnership Dialogue.
Earlier, at a joint press conference at state guesthouse Meghna, Sherman faced the same question from journalists when she said that she had to reschedule her programmes due to the countrywide shutdown on Sunday.
Meanwhile, BNP claimed the tentative meeting between Khaleda and Sherman did not take place due to schedule problems.
“A meeting was supposed to be held between the opposition leader and the US envoy. As the schedule can’t be finalised, the meeting won’t be held,” said BNP chairperson’s press secretary Maruf Kamal Khan Sohel.
Sohel said there is no question of cancellation of the meeting as there was no finalised schedule for it.
The US envoy arrived here on Sunday amid a countywide daylong hartal enforced by the BNP-led 18-party alliance.
The US top official is scheduled to leave Dhaka early Tuesday.