IPU Secretary Anda Filip Pays Courtesy Call on Prime Minister Tarique Rahman

Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Secretary Anda Filip paid a courtesy call on Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Tuesday, September 1, at the Prime Minister’s Office in the Bangladesh Secretariat.

During the meeting, Filip praised Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s leadership and highlighted his regular participation in sessions of the Jatiya Sangsad as a strong demonstration of his commitment to parliamentary democracy.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman said Bangladesh was pleased to have restored democracy after a long struggle. “We fought for democracy for a long time. During this period, many of our party leaders and activists were subjected to enforced disappearance and killings, while around four million party leaders and activists faced what we consider politically motivated cases,” he said.

He said the February 12 election had ultimately helped restore the country’s democratic process.

Tarique Rahman said the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) had played a role in restoring both multiparty and parliamentary democracy in the country. While acknowledging that challenges remained, he expressed optimism and reaffirmed his government’s commitment to democracy.

“There are still some challenges ahead of us. But we are optimistic and firmly committed to democracy,” the prime minister said, adding that people’s expectations from democracy were high.

He said sustainable progress and development could be ensured only through an effective and strong democratic system. His government, he added, was working to protect the constitutional rights of every citizen and ensure essential services for the people.

Filip said she had read the BNP’s election manifesto and praised several of its initiatives, particularly those related to education and community-based programmes.

She also commended Bangladesh’s progress in parliamentary democracy, saying that continued development in this area would help strengthen public confidence in state institutions and the democratic system.

The IPU secretary expressed the organisation’s interest in further strengthening cooperation and exchanging experiences with the Bangladesh Parliament. She also hoped that Bangladesh’s participation at the IPU’s 153rd Assembly, scheduled to be held in Tanzania, would further strengthen relations between the IPU and the Jatiya Sangsad.

Filip stressed the importance of increasing public awareness to make democracy more effective and sustainable.

Women’s empowerment was also discussed during the meeting. Recalling her meetings with young and women lawmakers, Filip described them as highly energetic and enthusiastic.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman said women’s empowerment was one of his government’s key priorities. He also outlined plans to provide free education for women through the honours level and introduce scholarships for female students.

The prime minister said another major objective of the Family Card programme was to help women become financially self-reliant and increase their participation in household decision-making.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs-1 Humayun Kabir and State Minister for Foreign Affairs-2 Shama Obaid were also present at the meeting.