The US Homeland Security labelling BNP as a terrorist organisation is embarrassing for Bangladesh, the junior foreign minister has said.
“It is embarrassing and defamatory for Bangladesh. I will always say this no matter whoever it is because the BNP is still doing politics in Bangladesh. This should not be allowed in the [political] system of Bangladesh,” Md Shahriar Alam told the Dhaka Tribune at his office yesterday.
He made the comment in response to a query on a recent media report that a US court rejected Homeland Security’s claim that BNP is a Tier III terrorist organisation.
The US immigration court rejected the Department of Homeland Security’s claim in July this year. The case arose when a 25-year old Bangladeshi sought asylum in the US in December last year claiming that he had been a BNP activist in Bangladesh.
Shahriar said: “BNP has already emerged as a terrorist organisation [by carrying out violent attacks, arson and vandalism during the anti-government movement in 2013-14] and we have to deal with it.”
He also claimed that another immigration court in Louisiana had dismissed a plea of a political asylum seeker describing the BNP as a terrorist organisation.
“Two separate courts have given opposite verdicts. We have asked our mission in Washington to collect certified copies of the verdicts,” he said.
The policymakers would decide on the use of the information obtained from the verdicts, the junior minister said.
“As far as the identity of a terrorist or the character of a political party is concerned, the government will attach more importance to the assessment of Homeland Security than a court verdict since a verdict is given only on the basis of evidence,” Shahriar added.
