Dhaka has called the top officials of 13 missions in Dhaka, including the United States and the European Union, to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs over their joint statement on an attack on Ashraful Hossen Alom, popularly known as Hero Alom, during this month's Dhaka-17 by-polls.
The ministry asked them to appear before it on Wednesday to let them know that the government was unhappy with their remarks.
The move comes days after it summoned the UN resident coordinator in Bangladesh, Gwyn Lewis, over a tweet condemning the attack on Hero Alom. "The @UNinBangladesh is concerned over the attack on independent MP candidate Ashraful Alam during the Dhaka-17 by-poll. The fundamental human right of everyone to participate in elections without violence should be guaranteed and protected," she had tweeted.
Acting UN resident coordinator Sheldon Yett responded to the summon as Lewis was on vacation.
Foreign ministry officials expressed displeasure over the tweet to Yett at the time.
Following the assault on Hero Alom, an independent candidate in the by-election to the Dhaka-17 constituency, the United Nations, the European Union, and a dozen countries condemned the attack and called for a full investigation.
"We condemn the July 17 attack on Dhaka-17 constituency candidate Ashraful Alom," said high commissioners and ambassadors of the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland, and the delegation of the European Union in a joint statement on July 19.
Dhaka has been vocal about its displeasure over other countries commenting on Bangladesh's internal matters, with Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen on Friday saying diplomats and missions in Dhaka made a big deal out of every little thing that Bangladesh did or happened in the country.
"Nowhere else in the world do ambassadors become activists and comment on a country's internal issues as a group," the minister said.
