Foreign minister AK Abdul Momen said yesterday that the ministry had no information on how Priya Saha, who spoke to the US President on alleged incidents of religious persecution in Bangladesh, went to the US.
“Many Bangladeshi nationals, including Priya Sa3ha, went to America to attend different conferences on religious affairs. We don’t know how they went there. They don’t need any permission from us. Any Bangladeshi having a US visa can go to the States,” he said. The foreign minister made these remarks while talking to reporters in his office in Dhaka.
“We have seen videos of the meeting between these people, including Priya Saha, and President Trump, on YouTube. We had no prior knowledge about this. During my stay in Washington to attend a religious conference, we told the US assistant secretary of state and others that such speech is baseless and fictitious,” Momen said.
“An assistant secretary of the US government asked me over phone whether we would arrest Priya Saha or file cases against her for such comment. I said, no. Priya has said what she wanted to say. Her comments on religious persecution are baseless and fictitious and hurt people of the country. But, if she wants any protection from us, we would give her protection. Our government provides protection to every citizen,” he added. In reply to a query on how Priya could travel to America, he said, “We have seen a video where Priya Saha said that the organisers of the event had invited her. As the US government wants freedom of religion and to create a harmonious world, our advice to the organisers is that if they invite responsible persons that will not create any controversy.” “We would’ve been happy if the organisers took the initiative before actually handing out the invitations,” he added.
The minister also said, “Nobody has taken any ‘no-objection certificate’ from us for travelling to the US. A newspaper published a report that Priya Saha was a part of our entourage. There were only three persons including I from my office who went to the US. Such false information is unfortunate.”
“Different kinds of rumours are spreading. Whenever any country starts development, many people don’t like it and start spreading rumour. Such things are happening in Bangladesh,” he added.
Asked about the stance of the Bangladesh government over Priya Saha, he said, “I cannot say what the government will do. But my personal opinion is that we ignore all this. I don’t think the Bangladesh government will arrest her.”
The minister said that Bangladesh presents an ideal example of religious harmony in the world. “Sometimes, some people try to use religion for personal gain,” he added.
