BNP on Saturday accused the government of trying to give legitimacy to all the human rights violators by including Inspector General of Police Benazir Ahmed in the Bangladesh delegation to the United Nations Chiefs of Police Summit at the UN.
Speaking at a press conference at BNP Chairperson’s Gulshan office, party Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said: “The government’s such irresponsible and arrogant behaviour is putting the country’s international relations at risk.
“The illegal Awami League government has tried to give legitimacy to all the human rights violators by including Benazir Ahmed, one of those who gave order for terrible human rights violation activities like enforced disappearances, murders and extrajudicial killings against opposition leaders and activists, in the list (of the UN delegation members),” the BNP leader said.
He said the IGP has been named in the delegation of Bangladesh to participate in the two-day Police Summit scheduled to begin on August 31 even after the US sanctions on RAB and its seven current and former officials, including Benazir, for gross human rights violations by indulging in enforced disappearances, murders and extrajudicial killings in Bangladesh.
“Confusion has arisen among the public as the United States granted a conditional visa to IGP Benazir Ahmed to attend the summit. The Bangladesh government has deliberately tarnished the image of the country by providing such a delegation list to the United Nations,” the BNP leader said.
He said IGP cannot join in any other activity except for the specific UN summit as the USA issued a conditional visa.
“We think that issuing visas subject to such conditions is an insult to Bangladesh,” Fakhrul observed.
