Dhaka: The US has imposed visa restrictions on unidentified Dhaka officials in an effort to promote free and fair general elections that are scheduled to take place early next year. Bangladesh's foreign minister has stated that his nation was not "bothered" by the restrictions. “The US is a democracy, so are we,” AK Abdul Momen told the media.
“As a global power, they, of course, can exercise power over others but we are not bothered because we know how to hold an acceptable election,” he said, echoing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s assertion that her government is capable of conducting free and fair elections.
Bangladeshis "responsible for, or complicit in, undermining the democratic election process in Bangladesh" will be subject to visa restrictions, the US Department of State announced.
A statement issued by the State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller mentioned “these individuals include members of law enforcement, the ruling party, and the political opposition” and “their immediate family may be found ineligible for entry into the United States.”
The State Department did not release any names as the “[visa] records are confidential under US law,” Bryan Schiller, US Embassy spokesperson in Bangladesh told the local media.
The visa restrictions come nearly four months after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned of curbs, as Washington has expressed support for “free, fair and peaceful national elections” in the South Asian nation of 160 million people.