EU delegation holds talks with Jamaat chief

A high-level delegation of European Union (EU) on Wednesday paid a courtesy visit to Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr 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 at European External Action Service (EEAS).

Other members included EU Ambassador to Bangladesh Michael Miller and Monika Bylaite, Deputy Head of EEAS South Asia Division.

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

Briefing journalists after the meeting, Taher said the hour-long discussion mainly focused on the upcoming national election in the country.

He said Jamaat leaders stressed the importance of holding a free, fair and neutral election, warning that the absence of credible polls has contributed to the country’s prolonged political instability.

“If the next election is not conducted in a fair manner, the crisis will re-emerge,” Taher said, expressing concern over what he described as recent partisan behaviour by law enforcement agencies and the administration.

He added that Jamaat urged all concerned to ensure immediate neutrality to restore public confidence in the electoral process.

According to Taher, the EU delegation said European Union intends to deploy the maximum possible number of election observers and reiterated its commitment to seeing a credible and participatory election.

The Rohingya refugee crisis was also discussed, Taher said, noting that the delegation raised questions about the prolonged displacement of Rohingya refugees.

He acknowledged EU as the largest donor supporting Rohingya refugees and said that Jamaat, if elected, would work with all stakeholders to pursue a durable solution.

Responding to questions from reporters, Taher said Jamaat’s current priority is ensuring a fair election and that discussions with other political parties, including BNP, were not the focus at this stage.

He also said he did not expect concerns over administrative bias to lead the party to boycott the election, adding that the situation is being closely monitored by the public.