Australia, UK and Pakistan show interest working in various fields of development with Bangladesh
High Commissioners of Australia, UK and Pakistan met with Adviser Nahid
Ambassadors of three countries met the Advisor to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and the Ministry of Posts Telecommunications and Information Technology Md. Nahid Islam on Sunday. Nadira Simpson, Acting High Commissioner of Australia; Sarah Cook, High Commissioner of United Kingdom; and Pakistan High Commissioner Syed Ahmad Maruf met one after the other in the office of the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology in the secretariat.
During the meeting, Australia's Deputy Head of Mission Clinton Prabock highlighted the country's AI-based solutions and their new Submarine Cable Connectivity and Resilience Centre. He said that they want to work with Bangladesh on these two projects. The Australian Embassy official said, AI based solution is much like Google Translate, especially if the tribals in the hilly areas, especially Chakma, Marma speak their mother tongue, it will appear on the screen in writing.
Adviser Nahid Islam agreed to work together on the two projects after hearing the details and explanations. He said that the youth of Bangladesh is interested and proficient in information technology. Meanwhile, the advisor expects Australia's cooperation to make the youth more skilled in the information technology sector. He also requested Australia to provide training on cyber security.
Regarding the amendment of the constitution of Bangladesh, Clinton Prabak wanted to know, whether the amendment will take place before the elections or an outline will be prepared for the elected government. The Adviser in reply said that, since we want to reform the whole country, it is necessary to amend the constitution. We want the people's words to come up in the constitution. Discussions have started with various political parties regarding the amendment of the constitution. Following due process, we will amend the Constitution by convening the Constituent Assembly.
When asked to know the date of publication of the target of the present government, the adviser said that the target of the government will be presented to the people within the next month.
On the other hand, British High Commissioner Sarah Cook expressed hope that Bangladesh and UK will work together on ICT and cyber security. She also spoke about media freedom, transparency and accountability. Both countries agree to work together on cyber security.
The adviser also said that the controversial sections of the Cyber Security Act are being reviewed and amended if necessary. He also said that we want the cooperation of the Government of United Kingdom to publicize to the people of the world the consequences of the 15-year-long fascist regime in Bangladesh and the massacres they have carried out during the movement.
Nahid Islam said, “We know that the UK is very advanced in technology and they have a lot of knowledge in this regard. If these issues can be shared with us then our government and the people of the country will benefit”.
Nahid Islam also said that we have some projects in the ICT division that try to utilize the new initiatives of young people and these projects need to be modernized. We want to provide modern training to these young people and also freelancing, which the young people of Bangladesh are doing well, needs to be institutionalized. Apart from this, we are thinking of projects where we can utilize our youth and engage the skilled manpower we have abroad.
When the High Commissioner asked about Digital Bangladesh, he said that the previous government did the most corruption in the name of Digital Bangladesh. We are trying to bring transparency in that matter by keeping our database and information up to date.
When asked about the priorities in the IT sector, the advisor said that he wants to develop an IT sector that will reflect the aspirations of the people of the country.
During the meeting, representatives of Australia and United Kingdom High Commission, Secretary of Post and Telecommunication Department Dr. Md. Mushfiqur Rahman and Secretary of Information and Communication Technology Department Md. Samsul Arefin were present.
In the other meeting, the Pakistan High Commissioner drew the attention of the adviser to solve the problems of non-viewing of Pakistani channels in different parts of Bangladesh, complexities in visa issuance for the last 15 years and harassment at the airport in various ways. Also, various issues related to mutual interest including cooperation in the field of media, sports, youth and culture and information technology were discussed.
Syed Ahmad Maruf said in the discussion, “We want to solve the question of 1971. But the previous government did not give us any opportunity to discuss and kept the ‘71-issue alive. It could have been resolved long ago. We are interested in establishing relations with Bangladesh.
In response, Nahid Islam said, 1971 is an important issue in the political history of Bangladesh. According to Awami League, 1971 was the 'last chapter of history'. But we think this is a continuation of history. Bangladesh would not have been established without the 1947 or Pakistan movement. We want to resolve the issue of 71 with Pakistan. A democratic South Asia requires us to strengthen our relationship with each other. We are interested in maintaining relations with any country while upholding the independence, sovereignty and national interests of Bangladesh.
At this time, Pakistan Embassy Councilor Kamran Dangal, commercial officer Juena Aziz, post and telecommunication secretary Dr. Mushfiqur Rahman, Secretary of Information Technology Ministry Md. Shamsul Arefin and others were present.
