Bangladesh, Aug. 3 -- Bangladesh should place greater emphasis on self-reliance rather than depending excessively on foreign assistance if it is to achieve sustainable economic development, Emeritus Professor of Western Sydney University Prof Anisuzzaman Chowdhury said on Sunday.

Speaking as the chief guest at a seminar organised by the Policy Research Institute of Bangladesh (PRI), the former special assistant to the chief adviser of the last interim government said Bangladesh continues to rely on external partners and international financial institutions for development, while many other developing nations have advanced by making greater use of their own resources and capabilities.

He argued that the country's tendency to look abroad...