If it was a courtesy call, that's a different matter: Jamaat chief on Gor-Trivedi meeting
US Special Envoy for South and Central Asia and US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor is on a three-day visit to Dhaka. During the visit, he met Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dinesh Trivedi at a hotel in the capital on Friday. Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman, however, has reacted to the meeting.
Responding to a question from journalists, the Jamaat chief said: “They (Sergio Gor and Dinesh Trivedi) can talk in India. He (Sergio Gor) is the ambassador to India. If he came here and met the high commissioner (Dinesh Trivedi) as a courtesy call, then that is a different matter. But if the discussion involved any issue concerning the two countries, it should have been held with the (Bangladesh) government and with the opposition parties. It is not something we expect to take place with the diplomat of any particular country.”
He made the remarks while responding to questions from journalists after attending the anniversary programme of the Sylhet-based Daily Jalalabad on Saturday afternoon. Earlier, he addressed the newspaper's 34th anniversary event as the chief guest at a gathering of distinguished guests.
Referring to the government's recent appointment of Md Shamsul Alam, a retired official, as a deputy secretary at the Election Commission Secretariat, the Jamaat chief said: “The government has started certain processes that concern us. A party-affiliated person who retired five to seven years ago has been appointed to the Election Commission. He is a core party loyalist. Looking back at the previous election held on 12 February 2026, we are already worried. If such manoeuvres continue, the entire nation will question the government's sincerity regarding the election. If there is any attempt to stage such an election again, neither the people nor we will accept it.”
Shafiqur Rahman also urged Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to take responsibility for curbing corruption. According to him, Tarique Rahman is both the head of the government and the head of the BNP, and therefore must also take responsibility for controlling his party.
He said, “The prime minister belongs to the whole country. He must take responsibility, stop corruption and end extortion. Even the Speaker has said that unless extortion is stopped, the nation faces the risk of serious consequences in the near future.
“We do not want our country to sink once again into quicksand and dark alleys.”
The Jamaat chief also alleged that the BNP changed its position on holding a referendum after securing an overwhelming majority in parliament. He said: “Everyone had supported a referendum. Why did they suddenly change their position? After securing a two-thirds majority, they thought they could do whatever they wanted. They then decided that accepting a referendum would create problems for them, so there was no need for it. History in this country, and across the world, shows what happens when the people's verdict is not respected. The consequences are extremely grave.”
Earlier, speaking as the chief guest at a gathering marking the anniversary of Jalalabad at Kudrat Ullah Mosque Market in Bandar Bazar, Sylhet, he said: “The country's biggest crisis today is the crisis of trust. Unless we restore that trust, we will not be able to stand tall as a nation. The countries with the strongest passports are the ones that command the greatest respect. Citizens of those countries can travel to the largest number of destinations without a visa. In that regard, our position is extremely weak.”
The gathering was chaired by Jalalabad editor and Sylhet Press Club president Muktabis Un Noor. Among the special guests were Rajesh Bhatia, second secretary at the Assistant High Commission of India in Sylhet; Abdur Rob, vice-chancellor of Manarat International University; Imdad Hossain Chowdhury, general secretary of Sylhet Metropolitan BNP; Muhammad Fakhrul Islam, ameer of Sylhet Metropolitan Jamaat; Habibur Rahman, ameer of Sylhet district Jamaat; Abdul Hannan, vice-chairman of Jalalabad Syndicate Private Limited; and Mohammad Sirajul Islam, secretary of the Sylhet Press Club.