Md. Palash Tushar Pathan, Reporter || Prime Minister Tarique Rahman met Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Secretary Anda Philip in a courtesy meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office at the Secretariat in the capital on Tuesday afternoon.During the meeting, Anda Philip praised the prime minister’s leadership and said his regular participation in sessions of the Jatiya Sangsad sends a strong message of his commitment to parliamentary democracy.Tarique Rahman said the government was pleased that democracy had been restored in the country after a prolonged struggle.“We are extremely happy that after a long struggle, we have been able to restore democracy in the country. We have struggled for democracy for a long time. During this period, many leaders and activists of our party were subjected to enforced disappearance and killings. Nearly four million leaders and activists faced false cases. Finally, through the election held on February 12, we were able to facilitate the democratic process in the country,” he said.The prime minister said the BNP had restored not only multiparty democracy but also parliamentary democracy.“There are still some challenges ahead of us. But we are hopeful and firmly committed to democracy. People have high expectations from democracy. We believe sustainable progress and development can only be ensured through an effective and strong democratic system,” he said.He added that the government was working to protect the constitutional rights of every citizen and ensure essential services for the people.Anda Philip said she had read the BNP's election manifesto and praised its initiatives in the education sector and various community-based programmes.She also praised Bangladesh's progress in parliamentary democracy, saying continued progress in this direction would help strengthen public confidence in state institutions and the democratic system.The IPU secretary said the organisation was interested in further strengthening cooperation and experience-sharing with the Bangladesh Parliament.She expressed hope that Bangladesh's participation through the Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad at the IPU's 153rd Assembly, scheduled to be held in Tanzania, would further strengthen relations between the IPU and the Bangladesh Parliament.Anda Philip also stressed the importance of increasing civic awareness to make democracy more effective and sustainable.On women's empowerment, Tarique Rahman said it was one of the government's key priorities.He said the government planned to provide free education for women up to the honours level and introduce stipends for female students.The Family Card project, he added, was aimed primarily at making women financially self-reliant and increasing their participation in family decision-making. Foreign Affairs State Minister-1 Humayun Kabir and Foreign Affairs State Minister-2 Shama Obaid were present at the meeting.