Foreign minister AK Abdul Momen on Thursday said that they were not under any external pressure, rather they were under their own pressure as his party, Bangladesh Awami League, was committed to holding the general election in a ‘free and fair’ manner.

‘We want to hold a free and fair election. We want to hold an acceptable election. This is our pressure. But we want to do it,’ he told the reporters while responding to a question after attending a programme at North South University as the chief guest.

Momen said that the external world was playing a supportive role and they wanted to see a free and fair election, in addition to making it a non-violent one.

‘We are committed to a free and fair election. We believe in people. We want people’s verdict. We want people to go to polling centers to cast their votes in big numbers. These are our challenges,’ he said.

Responding to a question, Momen said that he thought that the US did not like what opposition BNP was doing. ‘My hunch is that the US is hugely dissatisfied with the BNP. The US does not like arson attacks and terrorist activities.’

Momen said that the US did not see a democratic mindset from the BNP. ‘The US believes in democracy. We also believe in democracy. We have no mental distance from the US.’

Earlier, he spoke at the seminar titled ‘Energizing Bangladesh’s Youth Workforce For Global Success.’

The foreign minister a couple days ago said that they were looking forward to building a better and stronger relationship with the US.

Highlighting the cordial nature of the US-Bangladesh relationship, Momen remarked on the current election wave sweeping the country, underscoring the importance of participatory elections.

He said that Bangladesh valued the suggestions from friendly countries like the US and accepts those that are beneficial for the nation.