Hosting 1.1m Rohingyas a big burden

Mentioning that hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas is a big burden for Bangladesh, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said it wants to resolve the Rohingya crisis through discussions with Myanmar. 

“Giving shelter to such a large number of Rohingyas is a big burden for us ... we want to resolve the issue through discussions,” she said during a meeting with Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on Monday evening (London time).

PM’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim told UNB over phone from London that Lord Ahmad, also British PM’s Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief, assured her of all possible support over the Rohingya issue, saying that new British PM Boris Johnson was aware of it.

About combating terrorism, Hasina and Lord Ahmad said Islam is a religion of peace and it does not support terrorism.

Hasina said her government created mass awareness involving the cross- section of people to fight terrorism.

She also talked about the existing communal harmony in Bangladesh, saying that people of all faiths are exercising their respective religions freely.

Hasina informed Lord Ahmad that the government was establishing Islamic research centres across the country to uphold the true spirit of Islam.

Lord Ahmad highly praised women empowerment in Bangladesh under the dynamic leadership of Hasina.

Hasina said only education could ensure women empowerment.

Describing various initiatives of the government for ensuring women empowerment, she said the government recruited 60 percent of teachers at primary level from women.

Expressing satisfaction over the existing wonderful relations between Bangladesh and the UK, they hoped that the ties would be strengthened further in the days to come

Lord Ahmad was accompanied by his spouse Siddiqa Ahmed, while PM’s Principal Secretary Nojibur Rahman and Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK Saida Muna Tasneem were present at the meeting.