End violence, mull confidence building measures: UK envoy

British High Commissioner in Dhaka Robert Gibson today called upon political parties to refrain from further violence and consider confidence building measures to defuse the country’s ongoing tension.
“I have consistently called on all parties to fully consider the effects of their actions and resist from causing further damage to the country’s national interests,” he said while speaking to reporters after a meeting with BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
“I also urge all parties to consider confident building measures that would defuse the current tension in the country and allow normal life to resume.”
Amid the growing incidents of violence and deepening political crisis in Bangladesh, the UK envoy paid a call on the former prime minister at her Gulshan office for an hour from 5:00pm.
Emerging from the meeting, Gibson said, “As I have said before, the extent of the current violence and disruption to the lives of all people in Bangladesh is distressing and deplorable.”
He expressed his hope that in the long term further confidence building measures can be taken that will ultimately break the habitual cycle of violence and disruption that appear to characterize elections in Bangladesh and which would allow all legitimate political activities to take place peacefully.
The British high commissioner also said his country is committed to the future stability, development and prosperity of Bangladesh “in which we are and will remain close partner”.
Khaleda has been staying at her Gulshan office since January 3. Police are now allowing the party men to visit their leader since February 1, the day when cable, internet and land phone connections were snapped at the office on Road-86, Gulshan-2.
It was the first meeting of any foreign envoy with the BNP chief at her Gulshan office since the 20-party alliance has enforced a nonstop countrywide blockade on January 6.
Earlier on January 25, the British envoy visited the Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan office following her younger son Arafat Rahman Koko’s death.
He also signed the condolence book opened at the office, but could not meet Khaleda.