Jaat-e-Islami chief Bangladesh wants good relations with India

DHAKA: Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami supremo Shafiqur Rahman has said his party seeks harmonious and stable ties with India but asserted that New Delhi needs to reconsider its foreign policy in the neighbourhood, as bilateral relations do not entail interfering in each other’s internal issues.

Rahman, who is the Ameer of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, stated in an interview that his party supports close relations between India and Bangladesh but also believes that Bangladesh should maintain strong and balanced relations with countries like the US, China, and Pakistan, by leaving behind the baggage of the past.

Rahman, 65, contended that New Delhi’s perception of Jamaat-e-Islami as anti-India is mistaken, asserting that Jamaat-e-Islami is not against any country; it is a wrong perception.

“We are pro-Bangladesh and are solely interested in safeguarding the interests of Bangladesh, and emphasise that this perception needs to change,” he said.