Humaiun Kobir rejects Jamaat’s ‘selling Bangladesh’ claim

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Humaiun Kobir on Friday urged Jamaat-e-Islami to read the joint statement issued following Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s recent visit to Japan before claiming that the country has been “sold”.

“Once you read it, you will understand that nothing of that sort happened,” he said.

Humaiun made these remarks in response to a journalist’s question at a press briefing on the outcome of the prime minister’s just concluded 4-day Tokyo visit at the foreign ministry in Dhaka.

He also said discussions with Japan on the Bay of Bengal Industrial Growth Belt (BIG-B) did not involve the participation of any third country.

“Discussions on initiatives were confined to the bilateral economic partnership. No discussions were held on maritime routes centering the Bay of Bengal either.

The state minister also said discussions involving any other country would require representatives of the concerned countries to be present, and decisions on such matters would have to be taken through consultations with them. 

Referring to the joint statement on the BIG-B initiative, Humaiun said it had been described as part of the economic partnership between Bangladesh and Japan.

He was asked about Jamaat Ameer Shafiqur Rahman’s concerns that Bangladesh’s sovereignty could be compromised over the Matarbari deep-sea port project and his call for transparency in decisions concerning the project.

“Jamaat-e-Islami is a major religious political party in Bangladesh. One expects responsible behaviour, responsible communication from them,” the state minister said.

In a Facebook post on Thursday, Shafiqur said no initiative or decision concerning the Matarbari deep-sea port that compromises Bangladesh’s national interests, security or territorial sovereignty would be acceptable.

He also urged the government to make public the developments surrounding the port project.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman visited Japan from 26-29 October, holding bilateral talks with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and meeting business leaders during his four-day official visit.

Tarique returned to Bangladesh early Friday after concluding the visit.