EU delegation meets Jamaat ameer

Bangla Press Desk:   A high-level delegation of the European Union (EU) on Wednesday paid a courtesy call on Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Md Shafiqur Rahman at his office in the capital's Bashundhara area.

The three-member delegation was led by Paola Pampaloni, director for Asia and the Pacific of the European External Action Service (EEAS). 

Other members of the delegation included EU Ambassador to Bangladesh Michael Miller and Monika Bylaite, deputy head of the South Asia Division of the EEAS.

Senior Jamaat leaders present at the meeting included Nayeeb-e-Ameer and former MP Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher, Assistant Secretary General and Head of the Central Publicity and Media Department Ehsanul Mahbub Zubayer, senior Supreme Court lawyer Mohammad Shishir Monir, and Foreign Affairs Adviser to the Ameer Mahmudul Hasan.

Briefing reporters after the meeting, Taher said the hour-long discussion primarily focused on the upcoming national election in Bangladesh.

He said Jamaat leaders emphasised the need for a free, fair and neutral election, noting that the absence of credible elections has been a major contributor to the country's long-standing political crisis over the past 55 years.

"If the next election is not held in a fair manner, the crisis will resurface," Taher said, expressing concerns over the recent partisan behaviour by law enforcement agencies and the administration.

"We urged all concerned to maintain neutrality immediately to ensure public confidence in the electoral process," he continued.

According to Taher, the EU delegation informed Jamaat leaders that the European Union plans to deploy the highest possible number of observers in the upcoming election and reiterated its interest in seeing a credible electoral process.

On the Rohingya issue, Taher said the delegation raised questions regarding the protracted refugee crisis. 

He noted that Jamaat leaders acknowledged the EU as the largest donor for Rohingya refugees and stated that, if the Jamaat comes to power, it will work with all stakeholders to find a permanent solution to the crisis.

Responding to a question on whether the Jamaat held discussions with the BNP regarding a national government, Taher said the party's primary focus at present remains ensuring a fair election.

When asked whether concerns over administrative bias could lead the Jamaat to stay away from the election, he said he did not believe the situation would reach such a point, adding that conscious citizens are already observing the developments.

BP/TD