Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain has dismissed the Awami League’s recent letter to the United Nations, saying it will have “no effect” on the international body’s actions regarding Bangladesh’s upcoming elections.
Speaking to journalists at the Foreign Ministry on Thursday, Touhid said, “No results can be expected from the Awami League’s letter sent to the UN.”
Last Saturday, AL leader and former education minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel sent the letter on behalf of the Awami League to UNDP Resident Representative Stefan Liller.
In it, the party urged the United Nations and UNDP to suspend electoral cooperation in Bangladesh until a “free, fair, and inclusive” political environment is ensured.
The letter also called on the UN to promote national dialogue and political consensus among all parties, and to support measures safeguarding human rights and the rule of law.
The Awami League expressed “serious concerns” over the UNDP’s involvement in electoral projects and institutional support for the forthcoming polls, arguing that such engagement could violate international law, UN principles, and UNDP’s own mandate to promote participatory elections.
However, Touhid Hossain said he believed the letter would not influence the UN’s stance or operations in Bangladesh, indicating that the matter would likely end as a symbolic political gesture.