Editorial
US praising our anti-terror stance
But why pressurise Obama to withdraw special trade status?
The US State Department in its country report on terrorism has praised the Bangladesh government for 'its commitment to combating domestic and trans-national terrorist groups'. The report further maintains 'its counterterrorism efforts made it harder for trans-national terrorists to operate in or establish safe havens in Bangladesh'. As a secular state, Bangladesh has for some years now been at the forefront of combating extremism which could otherwise have posed a serious destabilising challenge to the country and the region as a whole.
Indeed, trans-national and trans-regional cooperation on combating terrorism have brought the government due praise. The country is signatory to major security protocols and has taken measures to limit potential threats on its territory that include introduction of science curricula to the madrasa system of education; engaging religious leaders like Imams in the fight against terrorism.
Yet while the US praises Bangladesh on the one hand on security issues; we are perplexed to see labour rights proponents in the US pressurising Obama administration to take away special trade status hitherto granted to Bangladesh . Rather than doing this, engaging Bangladesh in the reform process to provide adequate safeguards for labour rights is the way to go about it. At the end of the day, working out differences over the negotiating table would prove to be mutually beneficial. After all, it is only in the interests of regional and global security that the present climate of cooperation be preserved and improved between Bangladesh and the US.
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