Dr. Shafique denounces ‘secret meeting’ reports

Staff Reporter :

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqul Rehman has strongly refuted claims by some domestic media outlets that he held a secret meeting with Indian officials.

The party chief shared his statement on his verified Facebook page following an interview with the international news agency Reuters.

In the Facebook post, published Thursday at 9:19 a.m., Shafiqul Rehman explained that during the interview, a Reuters journalist asked whether Jamaat maintains any contact with neighboring India and whether any discussions or meetings take place.

Shafiqul Rehman said he replied that after returning home from treatment last year following an illness, he received visits from dignitaries and diplomats from various countries, including two Indian diplomats. “We spoke with them as we do with other visiting diplomats.

When we suggested publicizing the visit, they requested it not be made public. We assured them that any discussions of mutual national interest would be reported later. There is nothing secret about it,” he wrote. Expressing surprise at the domestic reports suggesting a clandestine meeting, Shafiqul Rehman condemned the coverage as misleading. He urged media outlets to avoid disseminating such unverified news in the future.

“The publication of such stories without verifying the facts is unacceptable. I strongly denounce these reports and call upon those concerned to refrain from spreading misleading news,” he wrote.

The statement highlights ongoing tensions between political communication and media reporting in Bangladesh, as Jamaat-e-Islami continues to maintain a low-profile diplomatic engagement strategy.