US visa policy creates huge pressure on BNP, says Hasan

Information and Broadcasting Minister and Awami League Joint General Secretary Dr Hasan Mahmud said that the US visa policy has created a huge pressure on the BNP as the party has no scope of resisting the elections.

“At a press briefing of the US State Department, they said that they have no headache over the caretaker government system. They want a free, fair and neutral election in Bangladesh. That means they don’t support BNP’s demand for a caretaker government. In fact, nobody supports it across the globe,” he said.

“So, the BNP has no scope of talking about the issue at least at international arena. And the visa policy has created pressure on the BNP,” said Hasan at a view-exchange meeting with reporters on contemporary issues at the conference room of his ministry at Secretariat here.

He said, “During the announcement of the US visa policy in a press briefing they (US) said that they declared the policy in support of the transparent participatory elections that the Prime Minister of Bangladesh wants to conduct. And the government has reacted in the same way.”

The minister said the policy will be applicable to all, including the ruling party and parties. It will be applicable to anyone who disrupts elections and obstructs the democratic process, said Hasan.

He said boycotting elections means obstructing the democratic process and resisting elections means creating conflict. The BNP can no longer do these and the visa policy has created a lot of pressure on the BNP, he added.