Bangladesh a country of equity, unity

A three-member delegation, led by United Nations Special Rapporteur Heiner Bielefeldt, met the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Religious Affairs Ministry in the city yesterday.

Two other members of the team are human rights officers Chian Yew Lim and Mika Kanervavuori.

Committee Chairman Bazlul Haque Haroon described the existing social, cultural, political and economic bonding among the people of all religious faiths. “Bangladesh is a country of equity and unity. All enjoy equal rights here. There is no dispute among people,” Haroon told the UN delegation.

He also referred to the country's constitution that guaranteed equal rights of all religious faiths, said a PID handout.

The team expressed satisfaction over the religious freedom in the country and Bangladesh's achievement in various indicators, including women empowerment.

The UN Rapporteur arrived in Dhaka on Sunday to assess the state of freedom of religion or belief in the country.

Following his nine-day visit till September 9, he will present a report with his conclusions and recommendations to the UN Human Rights Council next year.

He is keen to learn more about the efforts to eliminate the root causes of violence, intimidations and vigilantism in the name of religion and developments in promoting and protecting religious freedom, especially initiatives of inter-religious dialogues.

The work of the Special Rapporteur, as mandated by the UN Human Rights Council, also requires him to identify existing and emerging obstacles to the enjoyment of the right to freedom of religion or belief and present specific recommendations to overcome them, according to Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Standing committee members M Aslamul Haque, Sadhan Chandra Majumdar, AKM Awal, M Makbul Hossain, Mohammad Amir Hossain and Dilara Begum were present.