Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman revealed in an interview with Reuters that he had a meeting with an Indian diplomat, which was kept undisclosed at the diplomat’s request.
Shafiqur explained that the envoy specifically asked for confidentiality, which is why the meeting had not been made public earlier. He further said that Jamaat is considering the possibility of forming a coalition or unity government following the upcoming 13th national election.
During the interview with Reuters at his office in Dhaka, the Jamaat chief questioned the necessity of secrecy.
He said, “Why? There are so many diplomats who visited me and it was made public. Where is the problem? So we must become open to all and open to each other. There is no alternative to develop our relationship.”
The disclosure comes at a time when New Delhi is reaching out to political groups that may play a role in shaping Bangladesh’s next government after Sheikh Hasina’s ouster from power in August 2024.
India’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Shafiqur’s statement about the meeting or any request for it to be confidential.
However, an Indian government source confirmed contacts with various parties, and India’s foreign minister visited Dhaka on Wednesday to offer condolences to the family of BNP chief and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, who died on Tuesday.
Asked about Jamaat’s historical closeness to Pakistan, Shafiqur said, “We maintain relations in a balanced way with all. We are never interested in leaning toward any one country. Rather, we respect all and want balanced relations among nations.”
