US visa policy for Bangladeshis ‘insulting’: CPD

Terming new US visa policy for Bangladeshis as ‘regrettable,’ Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD) fellow Professor Mostafizur Rahman said, “It is very regrettable for us as a nation and citizens to force Bangladesh to a fair election with condition. I hope that everyone and all political parties will realize this matter. Politicians embody our national aspirations collectively.”

He made the remarks at a discussion title ‘State of the Bangladesh Economy’ arranged by CPD held at its office in Dhaka on Saturday.

The CPD fellow said, “They (US) have linked the issue of new visa policy with holding a free, fair and democratic election in Bangladesh. As a citizen, I think this it is very insulting to us.”
“We should hold a fair election for the sake of our own interest,” he added.

However, Professor Mostafizur Rahman also advised the government to be careful about the US visa policy as the US is one of the largest and most important market for exporting Bangladesh’s products.

He said “The US is the only market where Bangladesh is able to compete with other by paying tax. There would be no benefit of zero tax in the markets of Europe, Canada or India after 2026 or 2029.

“Still there is opportunity to compete in the US market by paying tax. This market is very important for us for this reason. That is why this visa policy should be considered carefully.”

CPD executive director Fahmida Khatun, research director Dr Khandaker Golam Moazzem, senior research fellow Toufiqul Islam Khan and research fellow Muntasir Kamal, among others, were present at the programme.