Biden's letter to PM a mere 'formality': BNP

BNP on Monday said US President Joe Biden wrote a letter to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as a formality to maintain ties between the two countries, but America did not back off from its earlier position on January-7 'dummy' election.

"One state may have a relationship with another state. But they did not say that the illegal and dummy election of January 7 was fair," BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi told a press briefing at the party's Nayapaltan central office.

Responding to a question from a journalist about the US president's letter to Sheikh Hasina, he said America also maintain ties with Russia and China as a formality of one country's relation with another country.

"But the people of the Western countries and the governments of the democratic world have not moved away from the ideological commitment to the question of democracy," the BNP leader said.

He said the Western countries, including the US, also did not change their position on Bangladesh's one-sided election, violence and how the people have been deceived on January 7.

Even a few days back, Rizvi said the US State Department expressed its opinion against the unilateral election. "The United Nations has always opposed this election. Democracy is an ideal for the Western democratic world...they have not compromised on this question."

In a letter to the Bangladesh Prime Minister, US President Biden has committed to work with Bangladesh together on economic development, Rohingya crisis, climate change and regional and global security issues.

The US embassy in Dhaka shared the letter with the foreign ministry on Sunday.

Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Monday said Bangladesh has welcomed the letter written by Joe Biden to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and he thinks this letter has manifested that there is no discomfort in the relationship between the two countries.

Borders unprotected due to govt's knee-jerk policy

Meanwhile, boicing concern over the prevailing tension along the Myanmar frontier, Rizvi said the borders of Bangladesh have become unprotected due to the knee-jerk foreign policy of the current Awami League government which it says has usurped power without public support.

"Our borders are now unprotected as blood is spilling there because of the knee-jerk policy of the government," he said.

The BNP leader said the sovereignty of a country is weakened when its government is subservient to other countries. "A country becomes insecure when its government is not respected by other countries and when its government is not committed to protecting sovereignty and independence."

Rizvi said Myanmar is daring to create trouble along the border since the government has weakened Bangladesh's sovereignty.

He claimed that Myanmar could not create tension along the border during the rules of BNP founder Ziaur Rahman and his wife Khaleda Zia as they gave a befitting reply to any provocation and strongly protested against any untoward incident.

"But the current government is afraid of raising its voice and protest (against any border incident) as it does not have that power and public support. They (govt) can't do anything when any other country is putting our sovereignty at stake since they lack public support. They accepted the hegemony of others by usurping power and holding the people hostage."

Meanwhile, two people were killed and a child was injured as a mortar shell from across the border in Myanmar exploded at Jolpaitoli under Ghumdum union of Naikhongchhari upazila in Bandarban district on Monday.

Shafiqul Islam, Jolpaitoli Ward 1 member, said the explosion occurred around 2:30 pm inside Bangladesh and two people were found dead after the incident.

Besides, at leader 95 members of the Myanmar Border Guard Police (BGP) took shelter in Bangladesh amid a conflict between the Myanmar military and the armed rebel group, the Arakan Army, in Myanmar's Rakhine state.

 Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud said Myanmar has communicated with Bangladesh about taking back the BGP members who have crossed the border into Bangladesh since Sunday.