Bangladesh’s envoy highlights country’s course toward progress

Right after independence, we did not kick off from zero. We started from minus,” said Bangladeshi High Commissioner to Pakistan Ruhul Alam Siddique.

He was speaking at a local hotel in Karachi a few days ago.

He said that in 1971 when Bangladesh became an independent country, it had everything against it like a massive population, no currency reserves, 47-year life expectancy, hunger, natural calamities, and huge psychological traumas, but Sheikh Mujibur Rahman pushed for development even in that situation.

‘The government’s agenda was economic progress in making the industry functional and tackling the food shortage, but Sheikh Mujib was murdered at the same time with most of his family in 1975. Only two of her daughters, who were on their way overseas, survived. And in 1996, one of them was elected PM of Bangladesh,’ he said.

“She took charge of the country for the second time in 2009 when she unveiled “Vision 2021″ for Bangladesh’s progress.

She set some targets which included several Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and infrastructure development, building the nation’s knowledge base, having a social structure for the poor, etc.,’ he said.

We reached all our MDGs before the end of the time, and many other things,” he went on to say, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh had also introduced a ‘Vision 2041′ in which they will examine other developments and also make them sustainable.

He also said that Bangladesh follows a “friendship with everyone”.

He also added that Bangladesh is now considering a practical development in its visa section to allow Pakistani nationals to visit that country which was once a part of Pakistan.