As the country’s bickering political parties seem nowhere close to any
understanding over the polls-time government, a sub-committee of the
House of Representatives of the US Congress is set to organise a hearing
on the political situation in Bangladesh on Wednesday.
The sub-committee on Asia and the Pacific will arrange the hearing,
titled ‘Bangladesh in Turmoil: A Nation on the Brink?’ to be held at
Rayburn House Office Building, according to a web release of the office
of House Committee on Foreign Affairs’ chairman Ed Royce.
Ali Riaz, professor and chairman, Department of Politics and Government,
Illinois State University and a public policy scholar at the Woodrow
Wilson Centre, major general (retd) ANM Muniruzzaman, President of
Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies and John Sifton, Asia
advocacy director, Human Rights Watch will participate in the hearing
as witnesses.
US representative Steve Chabot, chairman of the sub-committee on Asia and the Pacific, will also take part in the hearing.
On the hearing, chairman Chabot said: “Bangladesh has long been
considered a moderate, Muslim-majority nation in South Asia. However,
today Bangladesh is in the midst of a struggle for its national
identity, pitting secular moderates against religious fundamentalists.’
He said the extreme political tension that has gripped Bangladesh is threatening the next year’s parliamentary elections.
‘This political turmoil has already claimed one victim — Bangladesh’s
International Crimes Tribunal – resulting in proceedings that do not
meet international standards. The United States has a lot at stake in
Bangladesh. This hearing will be an important opportunity to examine
the cause of Bangladesh’s political tensions, the escalation of human
rights abuses, and how this all impacts security interests in the
region.’
On November 5, Steve Chabot visited Dhaka and met top political leaders during his visit and discussed political issues. (source)