Following Khaleda Zia's comment in Cox's Bazar, Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed claimed that the government is successfully taking steps regarding the repatriation of Rohingyas.
He even went on to ask the BNP chairperson that if the government has failed then why are the international communities praising Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
During her visit to the Rohingya camps at Moynarghona, Hakimpara and Balukhali, Khaleda Zia made her comment Monday afternoon, stating that the government has failed to take proper steps regarding the repatriation of the Rohingya refugees, who have entered Bangladesh fleeing the violence in Myanmar.
She said: "The Rohingyas are still here [in Bangladesh] because the government failed to take proper steps to repatriate them.
"The displaced people are destroying the environmental balance here."
The Minister of Commerce responded to the BNP chief's comment, while speaking as chief guest at a round table discussion on "Towards making Bangladesh an important trade and investment destination in South Asia: Challenges and policy options" on Monday.
He said: "She (Khaleda) commented in Cox's Bazar today (Monday) that the government has failed in the Rohingya repatriation. I want to ask her that if the government has failed then why did the Turkish President and the United Nations call on PM Hasina and praise her. Why did nine senators write a letter to Hasina praising her for the humanitarian act of giving shelter to Rohingya?
Also Read: Khaleda: Govt failed to take proper steps in repatriating Rohingyas
"If the government really failed then why are the international communities praising her?"
"It is not right to oppose against everything just for the sake of opposing. This culture must change, and she should recognise the government's efforts," he added.
He further said that even though the country has constraints, the government provided shelter to the Rohingya people on humanitarian grounds, in the same way as the country had suffered a similar situation during the Liberation War.
"But, we are hoping Myanmar would take back Rohingyas," he added.
According to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), at least 605,000 Rohingyas have entered Bangladesh fleeing the violence which erupted in Myanmar on August 25.
During the round table discussion, Tofail Ahmed raised some challenges towards making Bangladesh an investment destination in South Asia. Speakers have also identified infrastructure problem, energy problem, higher value addition to agro-based trade, and the lack of government affordability to make the country investment friendly. Speakers also said that the country needs to emphasise on the agriculture-based industry, so that more packed foods can be exported.
Mustafizur Rahman, a distinguish fellow of Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD) moderated the discussion and said that if Bangladesh wants to become a developed country by 2041, it needs to produce diversified amount of products.
Thursday, June 04, 2026
