Commerce minister Tofail Ahmed on Thursday said the Gulshan terror attack, in which 17 foreigners were killed, could not damage the country’s business; rather a national unity against militancy has been formed. ‘Following the Gulshan attack many people feared that the country’s business would be hampered but the reality is that the business is going as usual and buyers are not leaving Bangladesh,’ Tofail said at a press conference at his ministry’s conference room in Dhaka. The commerce minister said that the terrorists chose Holey Artisan Bakery restaurant to attack the citizens of Italy and Japan, two major business and development partners of Bangladesh, as the main target of the attackers was to hamper the economic development of the country. Tofail said that the militant attack would stop shortly as the government took all-out initiative to modernise the law enforcement agencies.Before the press conference, the commerce minister held a meeting with the country’s business leaders on the current situation. ‘I talked to the business leaders. They said that the recent militant attacks created a new challenge for the business but the country’s business did not suffer any damage due to the attacks,’ Tofail said. Following the Gulshan attack a 1971-like national consensus has been created and the country people irrespective of their political affiliation and views took stand against terrorism, he said. Business leaders at the press conference said that the country’s business felt the heat due to the militant attack at Gulshan in Dhaka on July 1 but faced no damage. ‘Factories are open, business is running but challenges are there. Business feels the heat due to the militant attack but no big impediment emerged,’ said Tapan Chowdhury, president of the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association. He said that the incidents like the recent militant attacks were unexpected for the family of the attackers and the country. Salman F Rahman, a former president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry, said that business was not affected due to the Gulshan attack but smooth communication with buyers had been disrupted a bit. ‘We are doing business with various challenges but the operation of law enforcement agencies against militants at Kalyanpur in Dhaka has given the buyers confidence,’ he said. FBCCI president Abdul Matlub Ahmad said that the terrorist attack could not affect business. He suggested that the local media should do positive journalism by upholding the country’s image as, he said, the international media put a shadow on the image of country through a negative campaign after the Gulshan attack. Syed Nasim Manzur, president of the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said foreign buyers are waiting to see what responses Bangladesh will make to the terror attack. Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association president Salim Osman said that the Gulshan attack was a plot to destroy the readymade garment sector of the country. Business is running as usual but a quarter is trying to create panicky situation in the country, he said.
