Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK, Saida Muna Tasneem, said her diplomatic mission's message for the 48th anniversary of Victory Day, celebrated around the world on Monday, was a clarion call for British Bangladeshi youth to learn about and uphold the values Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman propagated.
The envoy, who presided over the Victory Day celebrations as well as a photographic exhibition paying tribute to the British Bangladeshi efforts during the freedom movement of 1970-71 in London, said the images were a poignant reminder of the deep UK-Bangladesh ties.
In an interview with 'Bangla Tribune' on the sidelines of the exhibition, Tasneem said: "We are celebrating the 48th anniversary of Victory Day of Bangladesh in the UK and we have organised a photo exhibition to mark the occasion, which is trying to capture a glimpse of how the Bengali British people during 1970 and 1971 supported Bangladesh’s War of Liberation. They mobilised international public opinion and support in favour of stopping genocide in Bangladesh, releasing Bangabandhu and in recognising Bangladesh as an independent nation.
"A number of British MPs, eminent politicians and cultural activists took part in that movement and they demonstrated alongside Bengali British people."
The diplomat said that her High Commission's focus is on the next generation of British Bangladeshis to ensure they are well informed about the history and values of the nation.
She explained: "Right now the High Commission wants to focus on the new generation, the young generation of the Bengali British and our message to them would be that they must know the values that Bangabandhu, the Father of the Nation of Bangladesh and architect of Bangladesh independence, was motivated by to create Bangladesh as a secular Republic, as opposed to an Islamic Republic that it was part of for 23 years.
"So we were struggling for 23 years and in 1971 a new state was created, which would uphold values of democracy, secularism, Bengali nationalism and social justice as its four pillars."
Next year marks the centenary of the Father of the Nation and she said that celebrations will take place with the UK government as well as the British Bengali diaspora to mark the milestone.
"Our key message would be, please uphold those values that Bangabandhu was propagating. Values that we share with the British people.
So that Bangladesh continues under the leadership of Bangabandhu’s daughter, Sheikh Hasina, to remain a secular, progressive and prosperous country," she said.
Asked about UK-Bangladesh ties in light of the recent General Election, which gave Prime Minister Boris Johnson a strong mandate for Brexit and leaving the European Union (EU) by 31 January 2020, the envoy expressed hope that Bangladesh's special status under the current Generalised System of Preferences (GSPs) will continue.
She said: "Everyone is concerned about post-Brexit trade relationships. For Bangladesh, currently we are dealing with the UK as an EU country and therefore we enjoy all the trade preferential treatment under the Generalised System of Preferences (GSPs).
"Bangladesh is on the list of least developed countries (LDCs) on the path of graduation to a middle income country, so we will take things as a bilateral relationship and maintain the status quo on the GSPs until 2030. We have assurances from the UK government and we are hopeful."