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Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has said his government is committed to strengthening parliamentary democracy and protecting citizens’ constitutional rights, as he met Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Secretary General Anda Filip in Dhaka on Tuesday.
The IPU chief paid a courtesy call on the prime minister at his office at the Bangladesh Secretariat, where they discussed strengthening parliamentary democracy, institutional cooperation and women’s empowerment, PM’s Deputy Press Secretary Shahadat Shadhin said.
Tarique Rahman said sustainable national progress could only be achieved through a strong and effective democratic system.
“People have high expectations from democracy. We believe that sustainable progress and development of the country can be ensured only through an effective and strong democratic system,” he said.
The prime minister said Bangladesh had restored democracy after a long struggle, during which many BNP leaders and activists were subjected to enforced disappearance and killings and around 4 million party leaders and activists faced what he described as false cases.
He said the February 12 election had helped restore the country’s democratic process.
“We fought for democracy for a long time. Finally, through the election on February 12, we facilitated the restoration of the democratic process in the country,” he said.
Tarique also said the BNP had played a role in restoring multiparty democracy and introducing parliamentary democracy in Bangladesh.
“There are still some challenges ahead of us, but we are optimistic and firmly committed to democracy,” he said.
The prime minister said his government was working to protect the constitutional rights of citizens and ensure essential services for the people.
He also identified women’s empowerment as a key government priority, saying plans were underway to provide free education for women up to the honours level and introduce stipends for female students.
Tarique said the Family Card programme was aimed partly at making women financially self-reliant and increasing their role in family decision-making.
Filip praised Tarique’s leadership, particularly his regular participation in Jatiya Sangsad sessions, saying it demonstrated his commitment to parliamentary democracy.
The IPU secretary general said she had reviewed the BNP’s election manifesto and praised its initiatives in education and community-based programmes.
She also welcomed Bangladesh’s progress in parliamentary democracy, saying continued advancement would strengthen public confidence in state institutions and the democratic system.
Filip expressed the IPU’s interest in expanding experience-sharing and cooperation with the Bangladesh Parliament and hoped that the Jatiya Sangsad speaker’s participation in the 153rd IPU Assembly in Tanzania would further strengthen ties.
She also stressed the importance of increasing civic awareness to make democracy more effective and sustainable.
Women’s empowerment was another key topic, with Filip sharing her positive impression of young and women lawmakers she had met, describing them as energetic and enthusiastic.
State Ministers for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir and Shama Obaed Islam were present at the meeting.
