Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions the Government has had with the Government of Bangladesh on human rights and political violence in that country.

I raised concerns about human rights and political violence with the Government of Bangladesh during my visit to Dhaka from 2 to 4 March. In my meetings with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and opposition leaders Begum Khaleda Zia and Raushan Ershad MP, I called on all parties to participate in future elections and to ensure that they were free, fair and credible.

In my meeting with Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali on 3 March I emphasised that Bangladesh's "zero-tolerance" approach towards terrorism and extremism must respect the rule of law and international human rights standards.