http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8028613.stm

The Bangladeshi government has welcomed moves by a US congressional panel to remove it from a list of countries deemed to violate religious freedoms.

The decision is a vindication of the new government's determination to protect minorities, a spokesman in the prime minister's office said.

The panel ruled that Bangladesh's elections in December were "relatively free of violence".

However, Pakistan is described by the panel as "of particular concern".

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom report said that Afghanistan also needed to be "closely watched" and Sri Lanka was a cause for concern.