Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK Saida Muna Tasneem has called on the British government to recognise the killing and repression of Bangladeshi people by the Pakistani army and their local collaborators in 1971 as genocide. Saida made the request at a special event organised by the High Commission (HC) commemorating the Martyred Intellectuals Day in London on Wednesday. “The Pakistan Army and their local collaborators tried to turn Bangladesh into an intellectually bankrupt nation by killing hundreds of intellectuals in 1971,” she said. The diplomat said that besides punishing the killers, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has also taken various initiatives to let the people know about what happened on December 14 in 1971. Read: Saida Muna Tasneem receives ‘Woman of the Decade in Public Life, Diplomacy Award’ “We, the Bangladesh HC in the UK, are implementing these initiatives to make the British people aware of this dreadful massacre,” said Saida. Dr Meghna Guhathakurta, daughter of slain intellectual Dr Jyotirmoy Guhathakurta, Asif Munier, son of slain intellectual Munier Chowdhury and Shomi Kaisar, daughter of Shahidullah Kaisar, joined the event virtually from Dhaka.

Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK Saida Muna Tasneem has received the prestigious “Diplomat of the Year 2022 Award” from  world-famous Diplomat Magazine, UK , for her ‘outstanding contribution to climate diplomacy.’ The award was handed over to the High Commissioner by the Editor of the Diplomat Magazine, London recently at an annual gala diplomatic event at London’s Biltmore Mayfair in the presence of over 250 London-based diplomats, said the High Commission on Thursday. Also read:Saida Muna Tasneem receives ‘Woman of the Decade in Public Life, Diplomacy Award’ The Diplomat Award of the Year is an annual award given out by Diplomat Magazine UK based on nominations and votes cast by UK-based envoys of more than 165 countries who maintain resident missions in London.

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen will have a meeting with his British counterpart Dominic Raab in London in between his visit to Switzerland and the Netherlands, and discuss ways to further strengthen the relations between the two Commonwealth countries -- Bangladesh and the United Kingdom. Dr Momen said Bangladesh High Commissioner in London Saida Muna Tasneem informed him that there has been no meeting with the British Foreign Minister for a long time and Dominic Raab has already given an appointment to sit in a meeting in London. “I’ll also have a separate meeting with Alok Sharma (President of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in London,” the Foreign Minister told UNB. “Things are being finalized,” he said, mentioning that he will visit London in between his visit to Switzerland and the Netherlands. Dr Momen will also attend programmes like a meeting with businesspeople during his busy stay in London, a senior official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told UNB. He will leave here on Sunday morning beginning his tri-nation visit, said the official.  The UK will host the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow on October 31 to November 12. Apart from the bilateral issues, vaccine cooperation and removing Bangladesh from the red list (for entering England amid the pandemic) are likely to be discussed, said a diplomatic source. Read: See your own face in mirror before advising Bangladesh: Dhaka to London Bangladesh finds no justified reason to see it on the red list as the Covid-19 situation is not that much bad compared to other countries which are not on the red list, said an official. If anyone from a red listed country enters the UK, he or she must book a quarantine hotel and coronavirus (Covid-19) tests which is quite expensive.

Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK Saida Muna Tasneem has briefed the Uk's all-party parliamentary group (APPG) about the inconveniences caused by the country's travel ban that has put Bangladesh among the nations on its "red list." She said the decision would seriously hurt the bilateral trade in the apparel, food and beverage sectors and also emergency medical treatments. On April 2, the UK said it would put Bangladesh, Kenya, Pakistan and the Philippines on its travel "red list," banning entry to people arriving from those countries unless they are Britons or Irish. The high commissioner, during a recent virtual meeting with the APPG on Bangladesh, raised two issues including the UK's travel "red list," and the protracted Rohingya crisis. Also read: Covid-19 in Bangladesh: 95 more die with infection rate falling to 15.07pc Praising the British government's role on the Rohingya issue especially as the pen-holder at the UN Security Council, she called upon the APPG to keep the issue of the sustainable and dignified return of the Rohingyas back to Myanmar high on its agenda at the British Parliament. She took great pride in the extraordinary achievements and contributions made by the enterprising expatriate Bangladeshis in the UK in enhancing the shared prosperity of both countries. "The government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina looks forward to further intensifying Bangladesh's bilateral trade, investment, climate and digital innovation partnership with a post-Brexit 'Global Britain," Muna said. Also read: 14-day institutional quarantine mandatory for travellers from European countries: CAAB The virtual meeting was held to mark the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh's independence. Chaired by Rushanara Ali, MP, chairman of the APPG on Bangladesh and UK's trade envoy to Bangladesh, the meeting was also attended by the vice-chairs of the parliamentary group including Bob Blackman MP, Rupa Huq MP, Afzal Khan MP, Khalid Mahmood MP, Tony Llyod MP, and Geraint Davies MP. Rushanara said, "As a British-Bangladeshi, I am extremely proud to mark the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh's independence. I pay tribute to all those who sacrificed their lives for our freedom and independence. We are forever indebted to them." Also read: Fully vaccinated people can travel safely again, CDC says APPG vice-chairs Bob Blackman, MP, and Geraint Davies, MP, praised Bangladesh for its sustained growth and progress over the past 50 years. Other members of the APPG including Khalid Mahmood, MP, praised Bangladesh's climate leadership.

Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK Saida Muna Tasneem, who also represents the country on the Board of Governors of the Commonwealth, has reaffirmed her government's commitment to upholding media freedoms within the Commonwealth and beyond.  “The government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will continue to work closely with the UK, Namibia and our Commonwealth fraternity to continually uphold and improve media freedom nationally,  globally and within the Commonwealth," she said. The High Commissioner made the remarks at a virtual event organised by the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and High Commission of Namibia, on ‘Media Freedom in the Commonwealth’ on Wednesday in London. The event was co-hosted by the UK and Namibia at the advent of the World Press Freedom Day Conference 2021 scheduled to be hosted in Windhoek, Namibia on April 29 to May 3 in collaboration with the UNESCO.   Reflecting on the theme of this year’s World Press Freedom Day, “Information as a Public Good”, the High Commissioner paid her tributes to journalists all around the world including those who lost their lives in the line of duty. She called upon the Commonwealth to support sustainability and economic viability of news and media houses across the Commonwealth especially in developing countries during the Covid crisis, enhanced transparency of internet companies, and greater media and information literacy among young people to ensure information is indeed delivered as ‘public good’. High Commissioner Tasneem also briefed the Commonwealth meeting on wide-ranging initiatives and reforms undertaken by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government towards rapid liberalization, privatization and expansion of Bangladesh’s print, electronic and digital media industry over the past decade. The High Commissioner said apart from promoting an exponential growth in private electronic and digital media in Bangladesh, specially the internet-based news portals and TV channels leveraging media freedom and freedom of expression, the present government also created the country’s first journalists’ welfare trust to support special needs of journalists and their family members, and commissioned two wage boards to enhance their pay and salary packages by more than sixty percent since 2013.   Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland QC and High Commissioners of a number of Commonwealth countries, spoke on the occasion. The meeting was co-chaired by Head of Media Freedom at the UK FCDO Mr Kanbar Hussein and High Commissioner of Namibia to the UK Linda Scott.  

British Foreign and Development Office (FCDO) Minister for South Asia and Commonwealth Lord Tariq Ahmed has said Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman laid the foundation of a strong partnership and deep friendship that Bangladesh-UK has been enjoying in the past five decades. He lauded Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for upholding the spirit and values of Bangabandhu in building a self-reliant, secular and inclusive Bangladesh with maximal climate prosperity and resilient green future; and reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to remain a critical partner of Bangladesh seeking to support peace and prosperity for its entire people. Addressing a virtual programme in London recently, the British Minister congratulated Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the people of Bangladesh and the British-Bangladeshis as Bangladesh celebrated 50 years of its Independence, according to Bangladesh High Commission in London. Bangladesh High Commission in London commenced a nine-month celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Bangladesh’s Independence and hosted a high-profile discussion and diplomatic reception held recently where ministers, leader of the opposition, members of House of Lords, Mayor of London and eminent parliamentarians from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales paid their profound homage to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the martyrs of 1971 War of Liberation. They highly praised Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for the unprecedented growth and prosperity the country achieved under her visionary leadership. Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK and Ireland Saida Muna Tasneem chaired the event. Also read: Bangabandhu is an inspiration to many who fight for liberty, democracy: UK Minister Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, Labour Party Deputy Leader and Chair Angela Rayner, MP, Foreign Affairs Select Committee Chair at the House of Commons Tom Tugendhat, MP, Conservative Party Vice-Chair Ms Nickie Aiken, MP, International Ambassador of the Conservative Party Lord Hannan, Chair of All-party Parliamentary Group on Bangladesh and the UK’s Trade Envoy for Bangladesh Rushanara Ali, MP, Apsana Begum, MP, Sarah Boyack, MSP and IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim spoke as panelists.

Bangladesh High Commission in London held special commemorative event ‘Mujib the Eternal’ to celebrate the 101st birthday of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the National Children’s Day.

Bangladesh High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and Ireland Saida Muna Tasneem has been honoured with the ‘Women of the Decade in Public Life and Diplomacy 2021’ award.

Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK Saida Muna Tasneem has expressed the hope that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will visit Bangladesh soon on the occasion of 50 years of Bangladesh-UK diplomatic relations.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's 'Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan' was highly praised as a transformational nature-based investment and socio-economic growth concept at Chatham House.