Top Indian-American diplomat being rushed to Bangladesh

A top Indian-American diplomat will be visiting Bangladesh to discuss broader bilateral relationship and issues of shared concerns regarding security amid a series of gruesome murders of secular bloggers and intellectuals in the Muslim-majority country.
The State Department did not give the exact dates for the travel of Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Nisha Desai Biswal to Bangladesh.
"She will also meet with the embassy community and hold discussions with local human rights and civil society organisations," the State Department said.
The move comes days after the Secretary of State John Kerry had a telephonic conversation with the Bangladeshi Prime Minister to express his concern over recent killings of bloggers and human rights activists in the country.

The US asked Bangladesh yesterday to ensure secure environment to all its citizens.
"Our focus remains on urging the Government of Bangladesh to provide a more secure environment for all of its citizens, one that nurtures the spirit of the people of Bangladesh and the pride with which they guard their own traditions of tolerance, peace, and diversity," State Department spokesman John Kirby said.

The US has raised concerns with the Bangladeshi Government on the killing of bloggers and rights activists, he said.
"We're going to continue to do that, and I don't have more specific initiatives to lay before you, but I can tell you we're watching this very closely and we are in touch," Kirby said.

There have been systematic assaults in Bangladesh in recent months specially targeting minorities, secular bloggers, intellectuals and foreigners.
Last year, four prominent secular bloggers were killed with machetes, one inside his own home.
Former Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio said
he was saddened to learn that one of the victims was Abinta Kabir, a college student from Miami in Florida, who was visiting family and friends in Dhaka.
"From Paris to Brussels to Istanbul to now Dhaka, terrorists continue to answer the call to murder innocent civilians in the name of the Islamic State," the Florida Senator said.
"Under President Obama's watch this scourge has metastasised due to failed policies that insufficiently address the root cause of this problem. Without a substantial change in posture, I fear we will only see more attacks like we have today," Rubio said.

Senator Ted Cruz, another former Republican presidential candidate, said the horrific events are a sobering reminder of the radical Islamic terrorists who seek to destroy them.
"This isn't just a wake-up call anymore - it is a screaming siren of an alarm that demands our urgent attention.
"Just as the Bangladesh attack was a demonstration of the Islamic States' determination to take their war on civilisation to another Muslim-majority nation, the recent attacks in the United States from San Bernardino to Orlando demonstrate US is not immune," Cruz said.
Strongly condemning the horrific terrorist attack by gunmen reportedly aligned with ISIS, Senator Mark Kirk commend Bangladeshi security forces for their efforts to save the lives of hostages.

"As our thoughts and prayers go to those who lost their lives and their families, we are reminded of the growing threat of ISIS terrorists, who in recent months have killed innocents in Paris, Brussels, Orlando, Ankara, El Arish, and now Dhaka," he said.