Nisha Biswal visits Dhaka cafe, meets foreign envoys

Dhaka: US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, Nisha Desai Biswal, on Monday visited the Holey Artisan Bakery at Gulshan where Islamist militants killed 20 hostages in a terror attack on July 1.

Biswal, who arrived on Sunday, also paid homage to those killed in the terror attack.

She arrived at the restaurant at 11 a.m. along with US Ambassador in Dhaka Marcia Bernicat, Prothom Alo reported.

Deputy commissioner of police Jasimuddin accompanied the US diplomat during the visit. 

Twenty two people, including nine Italians, seven Japanese, one Indian, a US national and two policemen were killed at the café during the attack.

Later, Biswal exchanged views with the envoys of Canada, UK and Australia on the security situation in Bangladesh.

Biswal, who is on a two-day visit to Bangladesh, sat with Canadian High Commissioner Benoit-Pierre Laramée, acting British High Commissioner Mark Clayton and acting Australian High Commissioner Sally-Anne Vincentand at the US Ambassador Marcia Bernicat's residence in Gulshan in the morning, The Daily Star reported.

She is to call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina later in the day.

Biswal is also slated to meet Major General (retd) Tarique Ahmed Siddique, Security Adviser to Sheikh Hasina, Dr Gowher Rizvi, PM's International Affairs adviser and Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan.

She had visited Dhaka on May 5 and 6 after the brutal murder of USAID staffer Xulhaz Mannan in Dhaka on April 25.