Dhaka, Jan 1 (.) Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami ameer Shafiqur Rahman has rejected reports that he held a “secret meeting” with Indian diplomats, and said there was nothing confidential about the meeting.
In a post on Facebook, Shafiqur Rahman clarified about the controversy triggered by his interview to an international news agency, and slammed the domestic media for alleging that it was a “secret meeting”.
Shafiqur Rahman said that he met two Indian diplomats around the middle of 2025, after he returned home following his medical treatment. He said several diplomats from different countries had come to call on him to enquire about his health, and the two Indian diplomats also came to visit him, and nothing more should be read into the visit.
His Facebook post reads:
“In an interview given yesterday to the international media outlet Reuters, a Reuters journalist asked me whether, given that India is our neighbouring country, we have any contact with them, whether there are any discussions or meetings.
“I replied that after I fell ill in the middle of last year and returned home following medical treatment, many people from within the country and abroad came to meet me.
“Just as respected diplomats from other countries visited me, two Indian diplomats also came to see me at my residence at that time. As with others, I spoke with them as well.
“During our discussions, we told them that we had publicised the visits of all diplomats who came to see me. We also want to publicise your visit. At that point, they requested me not to do so. We told them that whenever there is a meeting with you in the future on issues related to the interests of the two countries, it will certainly be publicised. There is nothing confidential about this.
“I am surprised that some domestic media outlets have reported that a secret meeting took place between the Jamaat ameer and India. I strongly condemn such reporting and call upon those concerned to refrain in the future from publishing such misleading news without knowing the true facts.”
Shafiqur Rahman’s response came a day after an international news agency report, based on an interview with him, mentioned the meetings with Indian diplomats and said the Jamaat was open to joining a consensus government. Bangladesh is set to hold its general elections on February 12.
On Wednesday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was in Dhaka to attend the funeral of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, who passed away on Dec 30. He also held met with BNP Acting Chairperson and Zia’s son, Tarique Rahman, who is widely expected to take the reins of the country after the elections.
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