Yesterday, at the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, British Global Partners Governance (GPG) delegation met with Advisor Md. Nahid Islam.
Nahid Islam stated that an interim government has taken charge in Bangladesh through an uprising. This is an unprecedented event that has never happened before. He added, “I don’t know if such a thing has occurred in any other country. We are trying to navigate through this situation.”
When former Scottish Parliament member Lord Jeremy Purvis inquired about the challenges facing the interim government, the advisor highlighted that the main challenges are maintaining law and order, addressing economic issues, advancing reform based on consensus with political parties, and establishing global connections.
Former Chilean Minister of Social Development Giorgio Jackson asked about reforms and elections. In response, Nahid Islam said that there is an expectation among the public that new political parties will emerge after the uprising, and if they succeed, the current political parties will face a challenge. The existing parties are pushing for the reforms to happen under their control, which is why they are trying to portray the interim government as a failure. They are giving more importance to elections rather than reforms.
Development consultant Matt Carter asked in which areas the interim government seeks assistance. The advisor responded, “Your experience and advice on post-uprising democratic processes and the trials for genocide are very important to us.”
The advisor further stated that various forms of propaganda are being spread internationally. Many people are unable to properly understand the nature of the uprising and how such a powerful autocratic regime fell in such a short time. As a result, conspiracies are surfacing both inside and outside the country. There is also propaganda regarding minority oppression. Some are trying to deny that this was a democratic uprising.
Nahid Islam emphasized that Bangladesh has been experiencing a prolonged human rights crisis, where people could not vote, and thousands have disappeared. The nation was suffocated under such circumstances. Therefore, protecting human rights is one of the primary objectives of the interim government.
The GPG delegation assured full support to the interim government.