Diplomats stationed in Dhaka on Wednesday visited some of the devastated and affected sites in the city and were “stunned” by the scale, Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud said on Wednesday.
“They were stunned. Many of them (diplomats) said this is a shame. Many of them shared this feeling. All of them said ‘we are with you; it is your internal affair but we are with you,’” the minister, who accompanied the diplomats, told reporters at state guesthouse Padma in the evening.
Though they had plans to visit all the devastated areas, due to severe traffic congestion, the diplomats could visit three sites: BTV, metro rail station, and the Bridges Division.
“Seeing these (destruction) with their own eyes, they were shocked. I am also shocked,” Hasan said, describing the attacks carried out by “BNP-Jamaat and militant groups.”
He said this is something beyond imagination. “I don’t know whether you have visited those places including BTV. You will be shocked, too.”
The foreign minister said he has seen a news report claiming that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has stopped allowing in workers from Bangladesh. This is false, he said.
“This is absolutely bogus. It is not justified to release such a report without proper verification. Such sensitive report should be released through proper verification,” he said, adding that the relevant director general at the Foreign Ministry talked to the UAE Ambassador in Dhaka. “They conveyed to us that no such decision has been taken.”
Hasan said there were demonstrations in the UAE and Saudi Arabia and there were arrests there following their local laws. Around 54 persons were punished in the UAE.
The foreign minister said there were protests in front of the Bangladesh mission in Los Angeles, USA where “Pakistani expatriates” were involved. “The BNP-Jamaat clique took support from the Pakistani community there,” he added.
Hasan said representatives from 49 foreign missions including 23 Ambassadors and High Commissioners visited the devastated sites in Dhaka today. The High Commissioner of Pakistan was among them, he added.
Responding to a question, the foreign minister said they have enough evidence and footage, and after going over them, steps will be taken.
“We have enough evidence and footage. We are strongly committed to take legal steps against them,” he said.
Responding to another question, the foreign minister said no UN vehicle was used during patrols over the last few days. “I am making it clear. These (vehicles) were given to UN peacekeeping missions on rent but the logo was not removed. Now the logo has been removed.”
Earlier, during the diplomatic briefing, the foreign minister said that BNP-Jamaat activists and militant groups created anarchy mainly in Dhaka, and assured diplomats of restoring normalcy.