Ilias Ali's Disappearance
UK to continue contact with Dhaka: Envoy
The UK government will continue to raise the issue of the disappearance of BNP leader Ilias Ali to the Bangladesh government, said British High Commissioner in Dhaka Robert Gibson.
“We are in constant contact with the authorities concerned in Bangladesh on the issue,” he said at a meet the press programme at Jatiya Press Club in the capital yesterday.
The UK government also offered sympathies to the families of Ilias Ali and his driver, he added.
Lauding the role of the media in Bangladesh, Gibson said media is the conscience and voice of this country and it can help inform and shape decisions in the interest of the people's development.
“When we are talking about preparing for the impacts of climate change, countering threats to our security, supporting business, reducing poverty or promoting human rights and democracy, we are not talking about some distant issues that might matter in a few years, but these issues are affecting people's lives now,” the British envoy added.
Gibson said the British government has always encouraged the need for independent and transparent media as a key driver for democracy in Bangladesh.
He also said the United Kingdom over the next four years will be doubling its aid to Bangladesh.
Jatiya Press Club President Kamal Uddin Shobuj presided over the programme while its General Secretary Syed Abdal Ahmed and member Zahirul Alam also addressed.
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