Dhaka: Prime Minister’s Press Secretary AAM Saleh Shibly has disclosed that Microsoft founder Bill Gates visited Bangladesh on a brief trip in 2004, following an invitation from Tarique Rahman.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Shibly shared this information during a policy dialogue titled ‘Building Bangladesh’s Digital Future: Telecom, Data and Cyber Security Bill 2026′. The event was organized by the Bangladesh ICT Stakeholders Alliance (BISA) and took place at a club in the capital on Saturday evening. Shibly recounted that Rahman, the incumbent Prime Minister, had met Gates in the United States in 2004, which led to Gates’ subsequent visit to Bangladesh.
During his address, Shibly emphasized the importance of democratic discourse, stating, “The Prime Minister always says, ‘we may have differences of opinion, but we wanted a democratic state’.” He criticized the recent online language used by some groups, asserting that abusive language does not constitute freedom of speech.
The event featured BNP Standing Committee Member Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan as the chief guest and Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapon as the guest of honor. Other notable speakers included Dhaka South City Corporation Administrator Bir Muktijoddha Md Abdus Salam and BISA Chief Adviser Mustafa Rafiqul Islam Duke, with BISA President Faisal Alim presiding over the programme. Entrepreneurs, legal experts, and policymakers from the ICT sector were also in attendance at the dialogue.