Govt firmly committed to peaceful, swift resolve of Rohingya crisis: PM

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Wednesday said the government is firmly committed to achieving a peaceful and swift resolution to the Rohingya crisis.

He made the remark while responding to a starred question from treasury bench MP Md Selim Reza of Sirajganj-1 during the question-answer session in Parliament, with Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad in the chair.

The Prime Minister said Bangladesh had successfully resolved previous Rohingya crises through effective diplomatic initiatives under the leadership of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman in 1978 and Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia in 1992.

Under their leadership, the forcibly displaced Rohingyas who had taken shelter in Bangladesh were able to return to their homeland within a short period, he said.

“Today, we are pursuing a sustainable, peaceful and rapid solution guided by the same policy. The BNP government is conducting vigorous diplomatic efforts on bilateral, regional and multilateral fronts to achieve an early resolution to the Rohingya crisis,” Tarique said.

He said the government was actively working to keep the Rohingya crisis at the forefront of the global humanitarian agenda.

As part of these efforts, Bangladesh has maintained regular communication with senior representatives of the UNHCR, UN Women and the World Food Programme (WFP), he said.

Soon after the current government assumed office, high-level delegations from these organisations visited the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar and held detailed discussions on expanding humanitarian assistance, he added.

The Prime Minister also mentioned that the Foreign Minister of Türkiye paid an official visit to Bangladesh earlier this month and visited the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar.

“We hope this visit will lead to increased humanitarian assistance from Türkiye for the Rohingyas,” he said.

Tarique said a high-level conference was held at the United Nations last September to ensure the rapid and safe repatriation of displaced Rohingyas.

“We will continue organising similar high-level initiatives through the UN and other global platforms to mobilise international public opinion more effectively,” he said.

The Prime Minister stressed that Bangladesh was placing special importance on ensuring justice and accountability by addressing the root causes of the crisis.

“To this end, Bangladesh continues to extend its moral support to The Gambia’s case before the International Court of Justice,” he said.

He said a sustainable and effective solution to the Rohingya crisis lay in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, adding that Bangladesh had intensified diplomatic efforts to encourage the international community to increase pressure on Myanmar to create conditions conducive to the safe, voluntary and sustainable repatriation of the Rohingyas.

The Prime Minister said Bangladesh remained engaged in communication and discussions with Myanmar authorities as well as all relevant stakeholders.

Alongside traditional diplomacy, confidence-building measures were also being considered, he said, adding that verification of Rohingya identities was progressing regularly as a key prerequisite for repatriation. He also said third-country resettlement and repatriation initiatives were continuing.

Describing Rohingya repatriation as an extremely complex, sensitive and multidimensional international issue, Tarique said, “The pace of its resolution depends largely on the security situation in Rakhine State, international pressure and, above all, the position of the Myanmar authorities.”

“Creating a stable environment in Rakhine requires effective dialogue between the Myanmar government and the Arakan Army. To this end, we have strengthened dialogue with relevant countries. The current government’s goal is to initiate the permanent, safe and sustainable repatriation of the Rohingyas,” he said.

The Prime Minister said the government had adopted carefully considered, practical and multidimensional measures to maintain security in the Rohingya camps and address the humanitarian crisis.

He said the National Committee on Coordination, Management and Law and Order of Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals, headed by the Home Minister and comprising representatives of relevant ministries, was playing an active role in maintaining law and order in the camps, preserving harmonious relations with host communities and ensuring prompt implementation of decisions.

He added that the National Taskforce, comprising the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Home Affairs, the United Nations and other stakeholders, was continuously overseeing field-level activities to strengthen strategic coordination, deliver humanitarian assistance and accelerate the repatriation process.

The Prime Minister concluded by saying that the government was working diligently to achieve a realistic and lasting solution to the Rohingya issue so that the forcibly displaced people could return to their homeland with dignity.