British MP castigates Blair in Dhaka
Staff Correspondent
Visiting British opposition lawmaker George Galloway yesterday said Prime Minister Tony Blair has put Great Britain on top of the three most hated countries in the world. The British are puzzled whether their country is a member-state of the European Union or an outpost of the US, thanks to the role of Blair, said Galloway. The people now want a liberal and equal Britain, he told a press conference at the Jatiya Press Club. Galloway's visit to Bangladesh aims at showing solidarity with the Bangladeshi anti-war movement and is also part of a worldwide campaign to force Blair to withdraw British troops from Iraq. The British lawmaker will meet Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and Leader of the Opposition Sheikh Hasina to discuss development programmes in Bangladesh. He is likely to discuss his role to mitigate problems of Bangladeshi immigrants that have been intensified in the name of anti-terrorist movement in Britain. He said, "Seven seventy-nine Muslims were arrested by the British police since 9/11 and the harassment makes the Muslims frightened and is spreading anxiety among them. "Besides, the House of Commons is going to stop taking immigrants, although the country needs working people, and the birth rate is also declining in Britain," Galloway added. He went on to say that to put an end to the unilateral US policy, a strong, united and multipolar world is needed. A strong and united China, Middle East, Asia and Africa could have challenged the US now. The British MP from the Respect Party has been elected from Tower Hamlets where 40 percent people are Bangladeshis. Galloway is also set to visit Sylhet.
|