Bangladesh Ambassador to the United States Mohammad Ziauddin has urged Washington to consider duty-free and quota-free access of Bangladeshi products, particularly readymade garment (RMG) products, to US market to strengthen Dhaka’s ongoing fight against extremism. He made the call during a meeting with US Republican Congressman David Reichert at the latter’s office in Washington on Thursday, according to a press release forwarded by the Bangladesh Embassy in the US yesterday. Congressman Reichert is a member of the House Committee on Ways and Means. The ambassador pointed out that Bangladesh does not enjoy any trade preference with the United States and said the preferential treatments to partners belonging to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) will chip away the competitiveness of Bangladeshi products in the US market.
Bangladesh apparels are subjected to high tariff in the US as opposed to zero tariffs to almost all other developed countries in the world, he said, adding that this predicts a dire consequence for the export of Bangladeshi RMG products to the US and its adverse impact on Bangladesh’s apparel industry, women empowerment, poverty alleviation and above all, the country’s war against extremism.
Taking note of the briefings by the ambassador, Congressman Reichert said he will look into the issues. On the same day, the envoy also met with Democratic Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, member of the House of Foreign Affairs Committee, at her office.
The ambassador briefed the lawmaker about the brutal killing of Bangladesh’s founding father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibar Rahman with 18 members of his family in 1975, subsequent indemnity to the killers, rehabilitation and rewarding of the anti-liberation forces, creation of religion-based political parties, consecutive military rules and recent arson, killings and violence by the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami.
He said Bangladesh shares the same position as the US holds on ISIS and strongly condemns its terrorist activities.   
Replying to the Congresswoman, Ambassador Ziauddin told her that the present government vowed “zero tolerance” against all forms of extremism and terrorism and Bangladesh is working closely with the US, neighbours and other friendly countries to eliminate extremism and terrorism from Bangladesh and beyond.
The present government is persistently working on education and women empowerment to weed-out the cocoon of extremism and terrorism, he said, adding that 85 per cent of the RMG sector workers in Bangladesh are women. These women have stepped out of their homes and are contributing to poverty alleviation, literacy, and above all weakening extremism and reinforcing government’s efforts to eliminate the menace, observed the envoy.
Women are transforming the society into a progressive one, which is a panacea for ridding the country of all forms of extremism and radicalisation, he said.