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Supporters of Bangladesh's Jamaat-e-Islami Party be an predetermination run rally (File photo: AP)
The United States wants to beryllium "friends" with Jamaat-e-Islami, a enactment that has historically been anti-India and opposed Bangladesh’s 1971 liberation.According to a Washington Post report, US embassy officials successful Bangladesh precocious met Jamaat-e-Islami leaders astatine the party’s Sylhet determination office, marking the latest successful a bid of contacts betwixt the US State Department and Islamist groups up of Bangladesh’s February elections.
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"We privation them to beryllium our friends," the study cited a US diplomat saying during an enactment with the section press.The US embassy, however, dismissed the assertion that the States supported immoderate "particular party" successful Dhaka."The speech that took spot successful December was a regular gathering, off-the-record treatment betwixt US Embassy officials and section journalists. Numerous governmental parties were discussed.
The United States does not favour 1 governmental enactment implicit different and plans to enactment with whichever authorities is elected by the Bangladeshi people," the Post cited spokesperson for the US Embassy successful Dhaka, Monica Shie, saying.
US engagement with Jamaat
US engagement with Jamaat-e-Islami has steadily expanded implicit the past 2 years, opening successful 2023 erstwhile a US diplomat met a elder Jamaat person successful Dhaka connected the eve of convulsive protests against Sheikh Hasina’s government.
The outreach accelerated successful 2025. In March, 2 erstwhile US ambassadors visited Jamaat’s headquarters, successful June, the enactment was invited to the US embassy for discussions connected interior governance and its stated positions connected women’s and number rights, and successful July, the chargé d’affaires Traci Anne Jacobson met Jamaat main Shafiqur Rahman astatine the party’s headquarters. Despite Rahman’s grounds of extremist rhetoric, including praising Hamas person Yahya Sinwar and making openly antisemitic remarks, the US granted him a visa successful November 2025, underscoring Washington’s increasing willingness to prosecute the Islamist radical up of Bangladesh’s elections.
What it means for India?
With the prohibition connected Awami League, the lone pro-India force, and her main sitting successful India, the representation doesn't look promising for New Delhi. The anti-India sentiments person already manifested successful the emergence successful transgression against minorities, particularly Hindus recently.In the Awami League’s absence, 3 forces are apt to predominate the polls: the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), and the National Citizen Party (NCP), which emerged from the 2024 pupil movement.
Together, these groups are expected to signifier the result of the 2026 elections.The interest is, nary substance which enactment wins, its ties with India volition stay a rocky path.A Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) triumph would interest India due to the fact that the enactment is historically anti-India and opposed Bangladesh’s 1971 liberation, making it improbable to prolong adjacent ties with New Delhi. Jamaat could propulsion Bangladesh to diversify distant from India, including towards China oregon Pakistan connected defence and infrastructure.
Despite softer nationalist messaging, its halfway ideology remains anti-secular, and its organisational strength, shown by its pupil wing’s Dhaka University canvass triumph successful 2025, makes it a wide information interest for India.A BNP victory, meanwhile, mightiness mean a cooler but pragmatic narration with India. The enactment has rebuilt aft skipping the 2024 polls, nominated candidates for 237 seats, and is campaigning connected “Bangladeshi nationalism,” often tapping into “India Out” sentiment and a tougher sovereignty-first stance.
However, BNP has shown willingness to prosecute pragmatically connected commercialized and security, with caller goodwill exchanges specified arsenic its affirmative effect to PM Modi’s connection connected Khaleda Zia’s health.
The NCP grew retired of the 2024 pupil question arsenic a youth-led, reformist alternate to Bangladesh’s accepted enactment duopoly, led by figures similar Nahid Islam, who played a cardinal relation successful protests against Hasina and aboriginal joined the interim authorities nether Muhammad Yunus arsenic an advisor aft her ouster.
Its relations with India person lone worsened.Bangladesh has been demanding the instrumentality of ousted PM Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India past twelvemonth pursuing convulsive protests successful the South Asian nation.The 2 nations, since then, person had a tumultuous relationship, with some temporarily suspending visa services citing information concerns recently.What has infuriated the federation much is the repeated disapproval by Sheikh Hasina from India, who has placed afloat work for Bangladesh’s turmoil connected Yunus.
She has accused the interim medication of emboldening extremist elements, failing to safeguard minorities, and weakening ties with New Delhi. She has alleged that extremist groups were utilizing Yunus to steer overseas argumentation without nationalist consent, asserting that relations with India could stabilise lone erstwhile morganatic governance was reinstated.
Hasina has been convicted of "crimes against humanity" and has been sentenced to decease by a Dhaka court. A study by the UN quality rights bureau estimated that arsenic galore arsenic 1,400 radical died betwixt July 15 and August 15 during the “July Uprising,” pursuing a sweeping information crackdown ordered by her government.
