British envoy meets Fakhrul, discusses upcoming polls

British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Sarah Cooke today held a meeting with BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir at the party’s chairperson’s office in Dhaka’s Gulshan.
Following the hour-long discussion, BNP leader Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury briefed the media, saying that the meeting covered a range of bilateral issues including the upcoming elections.
“We discussed how quickly we are moving towards elections and how to further strengthen the various business and other relations between Bangladesh and the United Kingdom in the coming days,” he said.
The topic of money laundering from Bangladesh to the UK was also raised during the meeting, said party insiders.
Amir Khasru said a significant amount of money had been laundered to the UK, with some individuals’ names coming to light.
“We talked about the role and cooperation of the UK in bringing back this money, and they assured us of their full cooperation,” he added.
The UK representatives also asked about the timeline for a fair election in Bangladesh and the possibility of establishing a government accountable to the people, said Amir Khasru.
The BNP delegation discussed the casualties from recent student and public movements, as well as the repression, killings, and false cases against BNP leaders and activists over the past 15-16 years, he added.
He said that the issue of justice was a key point of discussion, particularly with the upcoming visit of a United Nations delegation to Bangladesh.