Misri conveyed greetings to Shafiqur on his new role and reaffirmed India’s enduring support to Bangladesh, underscoring the people-centric nature of the ties.
New Delhi: Signalling its intent to move on from the acrimony of the past, New Delhi on Tuesday reached out to Jamaat-e-Islami, which was once known for its hostility to India and now emerged as the principal Opposition party in Bangladesh.
Even as of Tarique Rahman as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri had a courtesy meeting with Shafiqur Rahman, the ‘Ameer’ (supremo) of the Jamaat-e-Islami, which won 68 of the 299 parliamentary constituencies in the recent parliamentary elections in the neighbouring country.
Birla met Tarique soon after the swearing-in ceremony in Dhaka, congratulated him and handed over to him a letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who invited his new counterpart to visit New Delhi at the earliest convenience. Misri, on the other hand, met Shafiqur, who was appointed as the Leader of the Opposition in the newly elected Jatiya Sangsad, the parliament of Bangladesh.
Misri conveyed greetings to Shafiqur on his new role and reaffirmed India’s enduring support to Bangladesh, underscoring the people-centric nature of the ties. Shafiqur highlighted the deep civilisational bonds shared by India and Bangladesh and expressed hope for stronger bilateral relations, New Delhi’s diplomatic mission in Dhaka wrote on X after the meeting.
The Jamaat-e-Islami, Bangladesh, has a history of ties with the radical forces in Pakistan. It had opposed the 1971 Liberation War, which had led to the birth of Bangladesh, ending Pakistan’s rule over what had previously been known as East Pakistan.