"We see some signs that both the ruling and the opposition parties are easing up... and it is not too late for coming to a consensus," he said while speaking as the chief guest at a dialogue on media and diaspora organised by Refugee and Migratory Movement Research Unity (RMMRU) and British Council at the latter's auditorium.

The UK, as a close friend of Bangladesh, will do everything it can so that they [political parties] come forward for consensus in a bid to hold the forthcoming election in a fair manner, he said.

He hoped that the people of the country would continue to work together so that they could enjoy a fair election and uphold democracy to prosper.

The first ever Bangladesh born British high commissioner said opportunities were not always equal between the Bangladesh-origin British and the British, adding that there still remains an imbalance.

The British government, with the responsibility to tackle discrimination during the past few decades, has removed the bars to equal participation of all culture in British society which itself has changed rapidly in its attitudes towards the inclusion of different cultures.

He, however, said people in Britain, regardless of religion, race or country of ancestral origin, are as free as anywhere else in the world.

The British people with Bangladeshi origin also have responsibilities to look onwards to the opportunities that already exist and they should not retreat into a cocoon cutting themselves off from the rest of the British society, he said.

He termed the Bangladesh-origin diaspora in the UK an asset to the country's development, but expressed his disappointment that they are not fairly portrayed in the media.

"Too often we hear only about a narrow section of the British Bangladeshi community who should not be made synonymous with just one or two issues or areas which are easy to access for the media," Anwar said.

If the focus is only on those who feel they have not prospered or integrated into mainstream British society, there is a danger of creating a negative and self-fulfilling prophecy, he noted.

He said the media should focus on the British Bangladeshis in UK who are doing very well. "Please stop representing the British Bangladeshis as victims. It's easy, it's lazy and it's wrong," he added.

Tasneem Siddiqui of RMMRU said the media plays a crucial role in linking the diaspora in UK, USA and elsewhere in the world, but lack of sharing information has been a setback in this regard. She urged the journalists to focus on the issues and thus reaping mutual benefits from it.

Journalists Nazrul Islam of New Age, Tanvir Sohel of Prothom Alo, Rabius Shams of JaiJaiDin, Porimol Palma of The Daily Star also spoke on the occasion and suggested journalists' training, appointing overseas correspondents, formation of a media forum on migration and development.

British Council Deputy Director Richard Sunderland also spoke at the dialogue moderated by Dhaka University Prof CR Abrar.