Dhaka, March 27
US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Nisha Desai Biswal has said that \"America cares\" for Bangladesh and the country\'s people and political leaderships would \"chart a path toward an inclusive democracy\", a media report said on Friday.

Biswal attended the Independence Day reception at the Bangladesh embassy in Washington on Thursday evening where she compared the growing US-Bangladesh partnership with the banyan tree US Senator Edward Kennedy planted as a symbol of \"friendship\" at Dhaka University in 1972 soon after independence.

\"It is larger and stronger than ever, and it is still growing -- just like the friendship between our two peoples,\" bdnews24.com quoted her as saying.

Kennedy was one of the longest serving senators in the US and supported Bangladesh in 1971 against his government that sided with Pakistan.

The senator addressed thousands of jubilant students at Dhaka University on February 14, 1972, where he said: \"I have come here to say that America cares.\"

Referring to that speech, Biswal said the message remained the same: \"America cares.\"

She hoped that Bangladesh\'s people and political leaderships would demonstrate \"the foresight and leadership to chart a path toward an inclusive democracy based on peaceful expression\".

America cares for Bangladesh: Nisha Desai Biswal