PM slams diplomatic missions for listing Bangladeshis as ‘foreign observers’

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today sharply criticised the diplomatic missions in Dhaka that included Bangladeshi nationals as “foreign election observers”, saying that this was “outrageous”.

Sheikh Hasina also criticised the Election Commission (EC) for accepting these locals as foreign election observers.

“...This isn’t right. There are many Bangladeshi nationals working in foreign missions here…They [foreign missions] have appointed them [Bangladesh nationals] as foreign election observers…This is outrageous!” she said.

The prime minister said this while talking to reporters after casting her vote at Dhaka City College centre after 8am.

She questioned how a Bangladeshi national can turn into a foreign election observer when the person is just working in a diplomatic mission in Bangladesh.

“They must not send them as foreign election observers… they didn’t do the right thing,” she said.

Sheikh Hasina, also the chief of the ruling Awami League, said that after the assassination of Bangabandhu on August 15, 1975, everyone witnessed how the voting rights of people were toyed with.

“But we’ve gradually overcome that, there are nothing to be concerned about,” she said.

The PM also mentioned that those who have expressed their concerns about the elections in Bangladesh should consider the examples of elections in their own countries.

She said the foreign missions that have selected locals as foreign election observers have some sort of hostile attitude towards Bangladesh.

She also questioned the sensibility of the Election Commission as they accepted Bangladeshis as foreign election observers.

“I don’t know how they [EC] accepted Bangladeshis as foreign election observers,” Hasina said.