<div style="text-align: justify; "><b style="font-size: 1rem;">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said the next election will he held as per the constitution of the country and her government is ready to welcome election observers.</b><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“The next election will be held as per the constitution,” she said while four MPs of the British All-Party Parliamentary Group called on her at her office.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The MPs are- Rushanara Ali, Jonathan Reynolds Mohammed Yasin and Tom Hunt.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">PM’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed the reporters after the call on.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He quoted the PM as telling the delegation that the Election Commission in the country is very much independent.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“We follow your Westminster type of democracy. We do not have any problem if election observers come," she was quoted as saying.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She said that Awami League as a political party has its long tradition of fighting for the restoration of  democracy from the clutches of military rulers in the past. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She said that the military rulers used to grab the state power using guns and then got into politics after forming political parties. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Hasina urged the British MPs to take initiative to stop Russia-Ukraine war. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She said that as a result of sanctions and counter sanctions countries like Bangladesh have been suffering in many ways. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She said that foodgrains, essentials and edible oils used to come from Ukraine. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“But due to the war import of these items is being hindered resulting in price hike of these items," said the premier.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She urged the UK entrepreneurs to make investment in the 100 economic zones across the country. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“We will welcome the UK investment  there,” she said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The British MPs expressed their satisfaction over the unprecedented infrastructural development of Bangladesh. They praised Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for this development, according to the press secretary.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Specially they highly appreciated the development in the connectivity including Metro Rail, Padma Bridge and Bangabandhu Tunnel,” he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The MPs think that these infrastructures will be very helpful for the development of Bangladesh, he said </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Terming Britain as the development partner of Bangladesh they said that their country wants to work with Bangladesh for its development. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">They said that Bangladeshi diaspora in the UK is very much hard working, and they are  contributing to the British economy. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">They also said that the UK will work with Bangladesh on climate change issue.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">They also discussed about the next general elections in Bangladesh, Ihsanul added. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The PM appreciated British support to Bangladesh in climate change issues.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She said that the government is serious about the climate change problem and it has started the adaptation and mitigation progammres with its own resources. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She said that Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had started the process initially with tree plantation along the coastal belt and construction of multipurpose cyclone sheltera by training 75,000 volunteers.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Hasina expressed her gratitude to the late Queen Elizabeth II saying that she always gave special attention to Bangladesh as guardian of the commonwealth nations. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She also conveyed her regards to the British PM Rishi Sunak.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Ambassador-at-Large M Ziauddin, Principal Secretary M. Tofazzel Hossain Miah and British High Commissioner Robert Chatterton Dickson were present. UNB</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>