Meeting with Pakistan minister
Unresolved issues are for the two governments to settle: Jamaat leader Taher
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami leader Abdullah Muhammad Taher has said that the unresolved issues between Bangladesh and Pakistan are matters for the two governments to address.
He made the remarks following a meeting with Ishaq Dar, who is currently visiting Dhaka. The discussion also touched on Bangladesh’s upcoming national election.
On Saturday afternoon, Jamaat-e-Islami leaders met with Ishaq Dar at the Pakistan high commission in Dhaka. The Jamaat delegation was led by the party’s Nayeb-e-Ameer Abdullah Muhammad Taher.
After the meeting, Abdullah Muhammad Taher told journalists that the discussions focused on issues of mutual interest between the two countries, regional trade, and ways to further strengthen bilateral relations.
He said they also talked about how to deepen ties with a brotherly Muslim nation in the days ahead, and how to make the regional alliance SAARC more active and effective.
When asked about discussions on moving forward after nearly 15 years of strained relations, the Jamaat leader said that Bangladesh’s foreign policy over the past 15 years had been somewhat one-sided.
“Now both the Bangladesh government and we believe that it is important to maintain good relations with all neighboring countries in the region. Both sides emphasised that point," he added.
Referring to a bilateral meeting scheduled with the government on Sunday, Abdullah Muhammad Taher said that the unresolved issues in bilateral relations should be addressed promptly in a favourable environment.
When asked whether the unresolved issues from 1971 were raised in the meeting, he responded, “These matters are for the two governments to discuss. We hope the government will take them up.”
When asked whether the upcoming national election was discussed, he said it came up only in passing and was not a major topic of discussion.
Abdullah Muhammad Taher also mentioned that they discussed with Ishaq Dar the importance of unity among Muslim nations in the face of ongoing global aggression against Muslims, as well as standing for justice and humanity.