The country’s business community has urged foreign countries not to put a red alert on Bangladesh, assuring them that the government is doing everything to root out militancy and make it a safer place. “Bangladesh is now much safer than it was before July 1,” said FBCCI President Abdul Matlub Ahmad yesterday. The Bangladesh government has been making relentless efforts to track down and try militants. However, some countries still have red alert that is hurting businesses in Bangladesh, said Ahmad said.“We strongly urge them to kindly see that the Bangladesh government is doing its best…it [militant attacks] happens not only in Bangladesh but in some other countries [too],” he told a memorial meeting at the Radisson Hotel in the capital. The Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), Dhaka, organised the event in memory of Faraaz Ayaaz Hossain and the other victims of the July 1 Gulshan café attack. The attackers killed 20 hostages, 17 of them foreigners, and two police officers during the 12-hour siegeSince then, there have been fears that many foreigners would move away from Bangladesh. In response to Ahmad’s call, European Union (EU) Head of Delegation Pierre Mayaudon said the EU was determined to remain engaged with Bangladesh. “By staying engaged and united, we will teach them [militants] a lesson,” he said, adding that the EU’s confidence to do business with Bangladesh remained unchanged.“I would argue for international unity. International unity can be in various forms, including cooperation in investigation,” he added. US Ambassador Marcia Bernicat said they understood the concerns of the business community after the attacks in Gulshan and Sholakia.“I learned during my time in the private sector that markets dislike uncertainty. However, the response to the current situation requires input from all sectors of society, and the business community plays an important role. ”Bernicat said she encouraged the industry leaders, schools and communities to speak out and condemn these acts of violence and to oppose extremism. “The answer to the current uncertainty is not to shut down business and to shut people out,” she added.Indian High Commissioner Harsh Vardhan Shringla said India looked forward to working with Bangladesh in its efforts to defeat the forces of terrorism, and the ideologies of fundamentalism and extremism. Transcom Group Chairman Latifur Rahman said the Gulshan attack was a game changer as the authorities and people woke up and got united against terrorism. “We are committed to this country…there is no question of surrender,” he said, referring to Faraaz.Terrorists specifically targeted foreigners dining at the café. They were looking for “infidels,” taking test as to who could recite verses from the holy Quran and who couldn’t. Faraaz, grandson of Latifur Rahman and Shahnaz Rahman and son of Simeen Hossain and Waquer Hossain, could recite from the Quran, said freed hostages. The brilliant student of Economics at Emory University in Atlanta, US, was given the choice of walking free. But he chose to stay with his friends — Abinta Kabir, a Bangladesh-born US citizen and also a student at Emory University, and Tarishi Jain, an Indian student of the University of California, Berkeley — with whom he had gone to the café. For his choice, he paid with his life.In memory of Faraaz and the other victims, all stood in silence for a minute.MCCI President Syed Nasim Manzur recalled all the great souls. “The final question that we must all answer at the end is not who we were or what we were or how much did we have. The final question is: what did we do with our lives? Each one of the victims was trying to do something with their lives in their own way,” he said. Zaraif Ayaat Hossain, brother of Faraaz, said, “I can proudly say, standing here that Faraaz has outdone any ambition he ever dreamt of and he has made an impact beyond any success he wanted to achieve.“Today his success, his significant impact on Bangladesh and beyond is not within the confines of our world or a time. It will pass on with generations to come.”Italian Embassy Charge d’affaires Giuseppe Semenza, International Chamber of Commerce Bangladesh President Mahbubur Rahman, Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Hossain Khaled, Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Mahbubul Alam, Foreign Investors Chamber of Commerce & Industry Bangladesh President Rupali Chowdhury, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association President Siddiqur Rahman, Bangladesh Textile Mills Association President Tapan Chowdhury, Bangladesh Chamber of Industries President AK Azad and MCCI Vice President Akhter Matin Chowdhury also spoke.
