US signals support for Bangladesh’s resurgent Islamist party, risking a major rift with India

Описание: The #UnitedStates is signalling a willingness to engage with #Bangladesh’s Islamist party #JamaatEIislami as it prepares for a strong showing in February’s national #elections, a move that could further complicate #Washington’s relations with #India, The #WashingtonPost reported.

The newspaper claimed that the outreach was revealed during a closed-door interaction between a #US diplomat based in #Dhaka and Bangladeshi #journalists in December. Audio recordings of the meeting, reviewed by *The #WashingtonPost*, show the diplomat acknowledging what he described as Bangladesh’s “Islamic shift” and indicating that Washington expected #Jamaat to perform better than in past elections.

The diplomat, whose identity was not disclosed, said the #US wanted Jamaat leaders to be “friends” and encouraged journalists to invite members of the party’s student wing, #IslamiChhatraShibir, onto television programmes.

Bangladesh is due to hold elections on February 12 under an interim administration led by #Nobel laureate #MuhammadYunus. Surveys cited by the Post suggest Jamaat could emerge close behind the #BangladeshNationalistParty (#BNP), which is seen as the frontrunner.

The #USEmbassy in Dhaka later said the discussion was a “routine, off-the-record” exchange with journalists and stressed that Washington did not support any political party.

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Jamaat-e-Islami re-entered political mainstream after Hasina's ouster

#JamaatEIislami, which opposed Bangladesh’s 1971 #LiberationWar from #Pakistan and was barred from politics for years, has re-entered the political mainstream following the removal of former prime minister #SheikhHasina in August 2024. The party has sought to broaden its appeal by focusing on #governance and #corruption.

During the meeting, the US diplomat played down concerns that Jamaat would impose #IslamicLaw if it came to power, arguing that Washington retained strong #economic leverage. Any move to restrict #women’s rights or impose #ShariaLaw would trigger immediate consequences, including tariffs on Bangladesh’s #garment exports, he warned.

“We would have 100% #tariffs put on them the next day,” the diplomat was quoted as saying, adding that such steps would leave Bangladesh without a functioning #export economy.

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Worry for India?

#Analysts told The Washington Post that closer US engagement with Jamaat could worry #NewDelhi, which has long viewed the party with suspicion due to its #proPakistan leanings and its stance during the 1971 liberation war.

“India’s biggest fear in Bangladesh for many years has been Jamaat,” #MichaelKugelman, a senior fellow at the #AtlanticCouncil, told the newspaper. He warned that US outreach to the party could “potentially drive another wedge” between Washington and New Delhi.

India has also raised concerns about the safety of #minorities and #politicalOpponents in Bangladesh since Hasina’s ouster. Hasina, seen as a close ally of New Delhi, has been living in #exile in India since August 2024.

With Jamaat poised to gain ground in the coming election, the US decision to open channels with the Islamist party adds a new layer of #uncertainty to #regionalPolitics and to already strained ties between Washington and New Delhi.