Polls, Rights: Momen writes to 12 members of US Congress

Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen has written to 12 US Congress members regarding their letters on free and fair elections in Bangladesh and "human rights abuses" by the Bangladesh government.

The Bangladesh ambassador in the US is also trying to get appointments of the Congress members to discuss their letters.

Foreign ministry officials told this to the parliamentary standing committee on the ministry at its meeting at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban yesterday.

In separate letters to the Congress members, the foreign minister has presented various facts dismissing their allegations of human rights abuse issues in Bangladesh.

The ministry informed the parliamentary watchdog that six Congress members of the Democratic Party, including William R Keating and James P McGovern, on June 8 wrote to US President Joe Biden on different issues concerning Bangladesh.

On May 25, six Congress members from the Republican Party, including Scott Perry and Barry More, wrote another letter to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken regarding Bangladesh's internal issues, the ministry informed the parliamentary body in a written statement.

The ministry officials said it was not noticed in the past that Congress members from the Republican Party showed such interest in Bangladesh-related issues.

The ministry said neither of the two letters were written to the Bangladesh embassy or the Bangladesh government.

The Bangladesh embassy in America communicated with the offices of the Congress members for confirming about the authenticity of their letters.

The embassy officials have already met several times the officials of the Congress members' offices and cleared Bangladesh's stance on their letters, the foreign ministry informed the JS watchdog.

They also talked to several officials of the US Department of State and the White House, including Michele J Sison, Rashad Hussain and Donald Lu, and told them that the allegations made by the 12 Congress members were based on false and wrong information.

Awami League lawmaker Faruk Khan presided over the standing committee meeting.