The subject of road closures in Dhaka on October 28, when the opposition BNP as well as the ruling Awami League are scheduled to hold rallies in the capital, did not come up during US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas’s meeting on Sunday with Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, according to the US embassy.
Ambassador Haas had "expressed the importance of peaceful demonstrations and interference-free participation in the political process," the spokesperson for the embassy said in a statement later in the day.
The home minister earlier said Haas had asked him whether the government would close the roads and entrances to Dhaka with the BNP set to hold a big rally, and Asaduzzaman Khan asked journalists if the ambassador was right in asking such a question.
“I put the question to you (journalists) whether US Ambassador Peter Haas can ask such a question, whether it is acceptable.”
Expressing his surprise at such an inquiry, the minister emphasized that Dhaka would not come to a standstill during the BNP rally, adding that law enforcement was on high alert to ensure public safety.
