UK condemns ‘all acts of violence’ in Bangladesh, calls for credible elections

London, Jan 16 (PTI) The UK government has condemned “all acts of violence” in Bangladesh and called for peaceful and credible elections as the issue of killings of Hindus and other religious minorities in the country was raised in the House of Commons.  Opposition Conservative Party MP Bob Blackman asked the Labour government to intervene to protect minorities and ensure elections scheduled for February are "free and fair" in a parliamentary statement on Thursday.  Blackman, who chairs the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for British Hindus, told UK members of Parliament that he was “horrified” over the “disastrous situation” that has involved Hindus being murdered and their temples burned.  “Hindu men are being murdered on the streets, their houses being burned, the temples are being burned, and other religious minorities are suffering similar fates,” said Blackman.  “Next month, there are due to be so-called free and fair elections. The Awami League who are a major political party in Bangladesh are banned from competing in those elections, despite the fact that they command something like 30 per cent in the opinion polls.  “Equally, the Islamic extremists have called a referendum which would change the constitution of Bangladesh forever,” he said.  Blackman asked the Leader of the Commons, Alan Campbell, to raise the matter with Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper to address Parliament on the steps being taken by the UK towards “inclusive” elections and minority protections in Bangladesh.  “As far as Bangladesh, which he raises, we actively engage with the humanitarian situation and support the interim government on peaceful and credible elections,” Alan Campbell said on behalf of the government.  “We have a long-standing commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights, and we continue to stress this to the interim government of Bangladesh. We condemn all acts of violence, whether they are religious or ethnic based, and we welcome the commitments of the Interim Head of Government (Muhammad Yunus) to the safety of minorities, including where arrests are made,” he said.

  Campbell assured Blackman that he would “draw attention” of the Foreign Secretary towards his parliamentary statement and said the Foreign, Development and Commonwealth Office (FCDO) would consider a statement at an "appropriate" time.   Blackman’s intervention comes a week on from his party’s shadow foreign secretary, Priti Patel, writing to Yvette Cooper over the “very concerning” situation in Bangladesh and calling for UK intervention following an “increase in violence”.  “Religious freedoms should be protected and the murders of Hindus and persecution taking place are wrong and must stop. The UK government must use its influence and convening powers to work to bring about stability in Bangladesh and a future where religious freedoms are protected and Hindus as safe,” said the Indian-origin Tory MP.  British Hindu groups led by the Bengali Hindu Adarsha Sangha (BHAS) UK have also been coordinating protests in London against the attacks on minorities in Bangladesh. The protesters have condemned the “unethical arrest of interfaith voice Chinmaya Prabhu and public lynching of Dipu Das by Islamic extremists” and reports emanating from Dhaka of other attacks. PTI AK RD      RD RD