The interim government of Bangladesh led by Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday lifted the ban on the largest Islamic party ‘Jamaat-e-Islami’. The government lifted the ban saying that no evidence has been found against Jamaat for being involved in terrorist activities.
After this, the statement of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami chief Shafiqur Rahman, who is famous for his anti-India rhetoric and pro-Pakistan stance, came out in which he said that his party wants stable relations with India. However, he has also given advice to India.
What did the Jamaat chief say about India
During a meeting with representatives of the Indian Media Correspondents Association Bangladesh (IMCAB), he acknowledged the importance of being a neighbour and expressed hope for stronger ties between the two sides in the future despite the rift in relations between Jamaat and New Delhi during Sheikh Hasina’s tenure.
“We are neighbours of each other. Neighbours cannot be changed at will and this is something that neither of us can deny,” Dr Shafiqur told the Bangladeshi newspaper Daily Manab Zamin.
“If we did something wrong, we would apologize immediately.”
He also said that cooperation should be given importance. He clarified that the Jamaat does not deliberately criticize India or any other country. He affirmed Jamaat-e-Islami’s dedication to peace and democracy and said that the party has never been involved in subversive activities and if any of its members is found involved in terrorism, it is also ready to apologize to the country.
‘India should refrain from meddling in our matters’
In another statement, Shafiqur Rahman also advised that India should not interfere in the affairs of his country.
He said the Jamaat supports close ties between New Delhi and Dhaka but also believes Bangladesh should “leave behind the burden of the past” and maintain strong and balanced relations with countries like the US, China and Pakistan.
News agency ANI also quoted Rehman as saying that while considering re-strengthening Jamaat’s old ties with India, he said that there has been a rift in the relations during the tenure of Sheikh Hasina in the last 15 and a half years but there is still a possibility of improvement.
He said, ‘It is not that this relationship has ended but we hope that this relationship will be even more positive in the future. We are open-minded in this matter and we hope that India will think the same’
Why was the Jamaat banned
Jamaat, which supported Pakistan in the fight for Bangladesh’s independence and demanded the implementation of Sharia law in the country, was barred by the Supreme Court from contesting the general elections. The Sheikh Hasina government also banned the party due to its radical stance. However, the interim government of Muhammad Yunus lifted the ban, saying that ‘no concrete evidence has been found of Jamaat, Shibir and its front organizations being involved in terrorist activities.’
Jamaat is not anti-India
In an interview to PTI, Rahman said that New Delhi’s belief that Jamaat-e-Islami is anti-India is wrong. He said that Jamaat-e-Islami is not against any country. This is a misconception. We are pro-Bangladesh and are only interested in protecting the interests of Bangladesh.
Expressed desire for extradition of Hasina
The Jamaat-e-Islami chief also said that it would have been better if former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had not fled to India after resigning. He also called upon Sheikh Hasina to return to Bangladesh to face the law. He said, India is our neighbor and we want a good, stable and harmonious bilateral relationship with it. However, India has done some things in the past which the people of Bangladesh did not like.
Dissatisfaction with India on these issues
He said, ‘For example, during the 2014 Bangladesh elections, a senior Indian diplomat visited Dhaka and instructed who should participate and who should not. This was unacceptable as it did not require the role of a neighbouring country. We believe that India should re-evaluate its foreign policy with regard to Bangladesh. We feel that we should avoid interfering in each other’s internal issues.’
Rehman said that Jamaat wants India to become its friend and play a responsible role in bilateral relations. He said that his party also accepts its responsibility to improve relations but emphasizes that these relations should not interfere in each other’s internal issues.
India should work with us
He further said, ‘Working together and interfering are two different things. Working together has a positive meaning while interference is negative. Bilateral relations should mean cooperation and mutual respect. India is our closest neighbour. We share both land and sea borders, so we should have good relations because you cannot stay away from your neighbour.’
He said Jamaat had relations with the Indian government in the past but these relations weakened during the Awami League rule in the past 16 years. But he said effective relations with India could now be re-established.
Have good relations with Pakistan too
Speaking on relations with Pakistan, Rehman said that our party also wants good relations with Islamabad. He said that we want equal and balanced relations with all our neighbours in the subcontinent including India, Pakistan, Nepal, Myanmar, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. This balance is very important to maintain stability.
When asked about diplomatic relations with other global powers, Rehman said, “We want balanced and stable relations with world powers like the US and China because in this globalised world, we are interconnected in many ways.”
Rahman said, ‘Whenever elections are held in Bangladesh, our party will participate in it. The interim government should be given time, but it should not be indefinite. We will clarify our position on the timing of new elections in time. But whenever elections are held, we will participate.’
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)