Commonwealth nations have expressed their commitment to supporting Bangladesh in areas such as education, information technology, media, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence. This assurance was conveyed by Commonwealth Assistant Secretary-General Professor Luis Franceschi during a courtesy meeting with Bangladesh’s Adviser to the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications, Information Technology, and Broadcasting, Md. Nahid Islam, at the ministry office on Monday.
During the meeting, Professor Franceschi praised the democratic reforms undertaken by Bangladesh’s interim government, including its ongoing efforts to reform the electoral process. He reiterated the Commonwealth’s willingness to support these initiatives and emphasized its commitment to fostering a fair, inclusive, and prosperous Bangladesh.
Adviser Md. Nahid Islam highlighted the global support for the interim government, which he described as a revolutionary body, tasked not just with overseeing elections but with driving institutional reforms. He noted that several commissions have already been established to facilitate these reforms, with elections to follow their completion. Additionally, he sought the Commonwealth’s assistance in ensuring impartial justice for the alleged atrocities committed during the mass uprising in July-August, as well as in building a “New Bangladesh.”
The adviser also underlined the interim government’s goal to transition the nation from authoritarian rule to a democratic system, stressing the need for collaboration with Commonwealth countries.
The meeting was attended by senior officials, including Dr. Md. Mushfiqul Rahman, Secretary of the Department of Posts and Telecommunications; Dr. Muhammad Mehedi Hasan, Acting Secretary of the ICT Division; and Dr. Dinusha Nihara, Adviser and Head of Asia for the Commonwealth.
