Jamaat denies involvement on interim govt’s int’l deals

Bangladesh Jamaat-e Islami-Ameer Shafiqur Rahman has said his party was not consulted over any international agreements concluded during the tenure of the interim government, contradicting recent remarks by the foreign minister.

In a statement posted on his verified Facebook account on Friday, Dr Shafiqur said several agreements had been signed with different countries during the interim administration’s time in office, but Jamaat was not involved in the process.

“Unfortunately, we were not consulted in any way regarding those agreements,” he wrote.

Dr Shafiqur noted that, in the absence of a functioning parliament, his party had repeatedly called on the interim government to hold discussions with political parties before making major decisions, particularly on international treaties and agreements.

“We demanded that important matters such as international agreements be decided through dialogue with political parties,” he said. “But the government at that time did not consider our demands. Therefore, our position on the matter is clear and there is no scope for confusion.”

His comments come amid debate over a recently signed trade agreement with the United States. Earlier this week, Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman said the government had obtained consent from the country’s two major political parties, BNP and Jamaat, before finalising the deal.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting on Wednesday with US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Paul Kapur, the foreign minister said the US trade representative had spoken with the heads of the two main parties ahead of the election.

“The US trade representative had spoken with the heads of our two main parties before the election, and they had also given their consent,” Khalilur said, adding that the agreement was not concluded without political awareness.

Before assuming his current role, Khalilur served as national security adviser in the Muhammad Yunus led government and was closely involved in negotiations with Washington.

Friday’s statement marks Jamaat’s first formal response to the controversy surrounding the consultation process.