India reaches out to Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, signals intent to move on from past animosity

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 Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla attended the swearing-in ceremony 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.

The Jamaat-e-Islami often criticised former Bangladesh prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, for allegedly undermining the sovereignty of the country in order to maintain good relations with India. After the fall of the Awami League government, the Jamaat-e-Islami leaders criticised New Delhi for allowing Sheikh Hasina to stay in India. Rahman had said that Bangladesh wanted the relationship with India to be guided by mutual respect.

Ahead of the elections, the Jamaat-e-Islami chief, however, struck a cautious note and said that his party had always wanted good relations between Bangladesh and India.