Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Karachi addressed the journalists of Hyderabad Press Club recently at the Press Club in Hyderabad. Journalists of different print and electronic media in Sindh were present during the address, meeting and interaction. Mr. Hameed-ur-Rehman, Secretary, Hyderabad Press Club and Mr. Jai Prakash Moorani, President, Hyderabad Union of Journalists and journalists of at least 20 media houses including print (daily and weekly) and electronic media were present.
Deputy High Commissioner S. M. Mahbubul Alam mentioned that Bangladesh and Pakistan have huge potential for mutually beneficial bilateral relationships. He emphasized on the exploring the areas for wider cooperation between the two countries.
Deputy High Commissioner mentioned that Bangladesh has become a ‘Role Model’ of socio-economic development in the world. Bangladesh is currently among the five fastest growing economies in the world, ranking 35th in terms of GDP. He further added that Bangladesh has full filled all the criteria for the graduation to developing country from the LDC status and has been confirmed to be graduated from the LDC in 2026. The present per capita income of Bangladesh is USD2824. He also mentioned few other mega projects such as Padma Bridge (opened on 25 June 2022), the Metro Rail (opened on 28 December 2022), Karnaphuli River Tunnel-the first even under the river tunnel in South Asia, Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, Deep-Sea Port and Bangabandhu Satellite-1.
Deputy High Commissioner further highlighted that Bangladesh is the largest delta in the world and is a green country which is a production powerhouse. Bangladesh is the 1st in Jute export, 2nd in Jute production, 3rd in Freshwater fish production, 4th in Rice production, 7th in Potatoes production. Bangladesh, a country of 170 million population, is a self-sufficient country in food production. He also mentioned that Bangladesh is a country of religious harmony. Bangladesh is a country of rich cultural heritage and tradition of thousand years. Regarding free press and freedom of expression, he said that the media has been growing very fast in Bangladesh and there are over 1,300 newspapers in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh Foreign Policy was also focused before the journalists. Deputy High Commissioner mentioned that Bangladesh has been pursuing the foreign policy of “Friendship to all and malice towards none” since her Independence in 1971 as was postulated by the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, which continues to provide the philosophical underpinning of Bangladesh’s pro-peace foreign policy. Father of the Nation of Bangladesh propounded the peace and development-centric foreign policy, which remains the guiding principle of Bangladesh’s diplomatic engagements today. In 1973 Father of the National was awarded the prestigious Julio-Curie Peace Prize.
Deputy High Commissioner mentioned that Bangladesh is the proponent of the resolution of ‘Culture of Peace’ in the UN System. Bangladesh is 2nd in contributing the UN Peacekeepers. Following the foot-steps of the Father of the nation, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also pursuing the peace-loving development centric and widely engaging foreign policy. The Government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has provided temporary shelter to over 1.1 million Rohingya of Myanmar nationality. This is an extraordinary example of humanitarian stand of the peace-loving people and the government of Bangladesh.
Deputy High Commission invited the Journalists to visit Bangladesh and play role in promoting mutually beneficial bilateral relationships between Bangladesh and Pakistan. The journalists were highly impressed to know about the socio-economic progress in Bangladesh. They deeply appreciated the development journey of Bangladesh and thanked the Deputy High Commissioner for sharing the encouraging stories of development. They expressed their willingness to contribute in promoting and strengthening excellent relationships between the two brotherly countries.
