The British government has condemned “all forms of violence” in Bangladesh and appealed for peaceful and credible elections. The British government said this when the issue of killings of Hindus and other religious minorities in Bangladesh was raised in the House of Commons, the lower house of the British Parliament. Opposition Conservative MP Bob Blackman, in a statement to Parliament on Thursday, called on the Labor-led government to intervene to protect minorities and ensure that February’s elections (in Bangladesh) are “free and fair”.
Blackman, chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for British Hindus (APPG), told members of the British Parliament that he was “appalled” by the “appalling situation” of Hindus being killed and their temples burned. He said, “Hindus are being killed openly on the streets, their houses are being burnt, temples are being set on fire and other religious minorities are also in the same situation.” He said, “The so-called free and fair elections are going to be held next month. The main political party of Bangladesh, Awami League, has been banned from participating in these elections, while according to opinion polls, it has about 30 percent support.”
“Similarly, Islamic extremists have called for a referendum that will change the constitution of Bangladesh forever,” he said. Blackman requested the Leader of the House of Commons, Alan Campbell, to raise the matter with Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and inform Parliament of the steps being taken by Britain towards “inclusive” elections and minority protection in Bangladesh. Campbell said, “We have a long-term commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights. We will continue to insist on this before the Interim Government of Bangladesh. We condemn all acts of violence, whether religious or ethnic, and we welcome the commitments made by the interim head of government (Muhammad Yunus) to the protection of minorities, including the arrests.”
Campbell assured Blackman that he would draw the Foreign Secretary’s attention to his parliamentary statement and said that the Foreign, Development and Commonwealth Office (FCDO) would consider a statement in due course. Blackman’s intervention came a week after her party leader Priti Patel wrote to Yvette Cooper about the “extremely worrying” situation in Bangladesh and called for Britain to intervene following an “escalation in violence” over the monitoring of the Foreign Secretary’s work.