Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Condemns Reports Alleging ‘Secret Meeting with India’

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman has issued a strong condemnation of media reports alleging that he held a “secret meeting” with representatives of India, describing such claims as misleading, irresponsible, and detached from factual reality. He has also urged media organisations to exercise greater professional integrity and verify facts thoroughly before publishing politically sensitive reports.

In a statement posted at 9:19 a.m. on Thursday on his verified Facebook page, Dr Rahman rejected the narrative circulated by sections of the domestic press, which claimed that he had engaged in clandestine discussions with Indian officials. According to him, the reports stemmed from a misrepresentation of remarks he made during a recent interview with the international news agency Reuters.

Clarifying the Reuters interview

Providing a detailed explanation, the Jamaat Ameer said that during the interview, a Reuters journalist had asked whether Jamaat-e-Islami maintained any communication or dialogue with India, given the country’s status as Bangladesh’s immediate neighbour. In response, Dr Rahman explained a sequence of events that had taken place in a completely open and non-political context.

He stated that in the middle of last year, following a period of illness and subsequent medical treatment, he returned home and received visits from a range of well-wishers. These included respected diplomats from several countries who came to enquire about his health and extend courtesy greetings. Among them, he said, were two Indian diplomats who visited his residence in the same manner as others.

Dr Rahman emphasised that the interaction was neither secretive nor politically substantive. “As with other visiting diplomats, I exchanged courteous words with them,” he explained, adding that there were no negotiations, strategic discussions, or policy-level talks involved.

No secrecy, no concealment

He further noted that Jamaat-e-Islami had made public the visits of other foreign diplomats at the time. The Indian diplomats’ visit, he said, was also intended to be disclosed publicly. However, the visitors themselves had requested that the meeting not be publicised. Dr Rahman maintained that he made it clear to them that any future discussions involving matters of bilateral interest between the two countries would be conducted transparently and shared with the public.

“There is nothing secretive about courtesy meetings,” he said, expressing surprise that such a routine diplomatic interaction had been portrayed as a covert political engagement.

Call for media responsibility

Expressing disappointment, Dr Rahman said he was astonished that some domestic media outlets had chosen to describe the visit as a “secret meeting”. He strongly criticised the reports and appealed to journalists and editors to refrain from publishing speculative or misleading stories without proper verification.

He warned that such reporting not only damages individual reputations but also undermines public trust in journalism.

Key Facts at a Glance

Dr Rahman concluded by reiterating that transparency, truthfulness, and accountability must remain the cornerstone of credible journalism, especially when reporting on sensitive political matters.