'US doesn't want to impose any sanctions against Bangladesh'

Gregory W. Meeks an influential US congressman and chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the United States and Bangladesh have excellent relations. The United States does not want to impose any sanctions on Bangladesh. We want to make sure that we do not impose any sanctions against Bangladesh. We are still working with the government and people of Bangladesh. He made the remarks at a fundraising luncheon at a restaurant in Queens, New York, on Monday (January 31st) local time.

'We want to make sure that we are not (imposing any sanctions) against Bangladesh and we are still working with the government and people of Bangladesh,' he told a fundraising luncheon function at a restaurant in New York's Queens area.

Meeks, also an eminent lawyer, has been a U.S. representative Democratic Party from New York since 1998, and serving as the chair of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs since 2021.

"We are not imposing any embargo against Bangladesh. The sanctions were imposed on some individuals of an organisation, not the entire organisation we are looking into the scenario there," he added.

The US Congressman also replied to a question about a vested quarter, who is strongly lobbying from inside and outside Bangladesh, for imposing sanctions against more officials and the politicians as well. "We will not do it as per their words it's not possible, and we'll take right steps after scrutinising all things," he said.

Meeks said that he will visit Bangladesh this year to see the human rights situation and other issues. 'Before then, I will talk to the State Department and Congress Sub-Committee on the Asia-Pacific if necessary we'll arrange a hearing in the Congress on Bangladesh issues,' he said.

Known for his compassionate and tenacious representation of his constituents, and his coalition-building skills, Chairman Meeks proudly serves the constituents of New York's Fifth Congressional District, which is a major Bangladeshi American concentration.

Meanwhile, expatriate Bangladeshis attending a fundraising luncheon demanded expulsion from the United States of Bangabandhu and his family's convicted murderer Rashed Chowdhury and intellectual murderer Ashrafuzzaman Khan to the Meeks. He promised to look into the matter.

Expatriate Bangladeshis were present at the event- Syed Mohammad Ullah, Morshed Alam, Dr. Pradeep Ranjan Kar, Eng. Mohammad Ali Siddiqui, Shah Md. Bakhtiyar Ali, Eng: Farasat Ali, Kazi Monir Hossain, Mrs. Hosne Ara, Rumana Akhter, Jalal Uddin Jalil, Shahidul Islam, Eng: Hasan, Sakhawat Ali, MA Salam, Dr. Masudul Hasan, Emdad Chowdhury, Fahim Reza Noor, Mumtaz Shahnaz, Ahnaf Alam and Dilip Nath among others. The Bangladeshis present handed over two memorandums to Congressman Meeks.