Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Tuesday said a strong and effective democratic system is key to ensuring the country’s sustainable progress and development, reaffirming his government’s commitment to strengthening democracy.

“People have high expectations from democracy. We believe that sustainable progress and development of the country can be ensured only through an effective and strong democratic system,” he said.

The Prime Minister made the remarks when Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Anda Filip paid a courtesy call on him at his office in Bangladesh Secretariat this morning, said PM’s Deputy Press Secretary Shahadat Shadhin.

During the meeting, Tarique Rahman said Bangladesh had restored democracy after a long struggle, saying, “We are very happy that after a long struggle, we have been able to restore democracy in the country.”

“We fought for democracy for a long time. During this period, many of our party leaders and activists became victims of enforced disappearances and killings, while around 40 lakh party leaders and activists faced false cases,” he said.

In this connection, the Prime Minister said finally, through the election on 12 February, we facilitated the restoration of the democratic process in the country.

The Prime Minister added that BNP had not only restored multiparty democracy but also brought parliamentary democracy to the country.

“There are still some challenges ahead of us, but we are optimistic and firmly committed to democracy,” he said.

The Prime Minister said his government is working to protect the constitutional rights of every citizen and ensure necessary services for the people.

Tarique Rahman also said women’s empowerment was one of his government’s priorities. He outlined plans to provide free education for women up to the honours level and introduce stipends for female students.

The premier mentioned that one key objective of the ‘Family Card’ programme was to make women financially self-reliant and increase their participation in family decision-making.

Anda Filip praised Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s leadership, saying his regular participation in Jatiya Sangsad sessions sends a strong message of his commitment to parliamentary democracy.

The IPU Secretary General said she had read the BNP’s election manifesto and praised its initiatives in the education sector and community-based programmes.

She also praised Bangladesh’s progress in parliamentary democracy, saying continued progress in this direction would further strengthen public confidence in state institutions and the democratic system.

Filip said the IPU was keen to further strengthen experience-sharing and cooperation with the Bangladesh Parliament.

She expressed hope that the Jatiya Sangsad Speaker’s participation in the 153rd IPU Assembly in Tanzania would further strengthen relations between the IPU and the Bangladesh Parliament.

The IPU Secretary General also stressed the importance of raising civic awareness to make democracy more effective and sustainable.

Women’s empowerment also featured prominently in the meeting. Sharing her experience of meeting young and women lawmakers, Filip said they were highly energetic and enthusiastic.

State Ministers for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir and Shama Obaed Islam were present on the occasion.