MM Rahmatullah: Foreign Minister Dr. Hasan Mahmud said that the diplomats working in Bangladesh were shocked to see the devastation in different parts of Dhaka.
He said these things during a press briefing at State Guest House Padma on Wednesday. Hasan Mahmud said, we took the diplomats to various state institutions in Dhaka such as metro rail, bridge building, and the health department on Wednesday.
Our plan was to take them to a few places, especially the Directorate
of Disaster Management, the data center. But it took much longer than expected due to heavy traffic jams and rain. That’s why I showed them the devastation of the Mirpur metro rail. The way it was set on fire, even the Footover Bridge was set on fire. A rampage was carried out in the bridge building, where up to 12 floors were set on fire. They went up to the seventh floor and caused havoc.
Hasan said, BTV is the home of television. Currently, many of those who run television channels have their hands in BTV. BTV is the first TV channel in the region. It was established in 1964. It was
then the first channel in Bengali language, there was no television channel in India yet. The way it was burned there really devastation, rows of cars burnt. The cars next to the metro rail were burnt. These are attacks on the state. They are people’s property, they are not property. They also succumbed to the ravages of the Pakistani invasion forces. Pakistani invasion forces did not burn our television channel, but they did. In the same manner as the Pakistani occupation forces have burnt people’s houses, they have burnt people’s property, state property. Houses burned.
Hasan said, a protest has been organized in front of our mission in Los Angeles. Pakistanis joined there. Several Pakistanis were involved in organizing it. Similarly, the BNP-Jamaat Chakra took the help of the Pakistani community in the protests that took place in front of our various missions. Demonstrations and rumors are spreading in these places about that support. After the diplomats left yesterday, many said ‘this is shameful’. Many have shared their feelings with me, all saying ‘we are with you, we are with you’. This is your ‘internal affair, we are with you’.
The foreign minister said, we sent a note from our ministry to everyone that this is our internal matter, that foreign embassies or diplomats should not send any statement to the media. Statements have been issued by their state in various places and they are complying with it. That’s why I didn’t call the media there. They also did not want to talk to the media. They are living up to it. When something like this happened in the past, our diplomats were encouraged to speak up, the foreign minister added.
