Dhaka: Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Tuesday held a courtesy meeting with Bangladeshi opposition leader Shafiqur Rahman, chairman of the country’s largest Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami.India has a troubled past with the Pakistan-leaning Jamaat-e-Islami, which sided with Islamabad during the 1971 liberation war. The BNP-Jamaat government was accused of providing sanctuary to Indian insurgent groups 20 years ago.The party has operated in fits and starts under legal bans. The ban was lifted during the term of the interim government.The meeting was held during the swearing-in ceremony of the new government led by BNP chief and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. Misri conveyed greetings to the new opposition leader to the JeI chief and reiterated India’s enduring support to Bangladesh, underscoring the people-centric nature of relations between the two countries. During the meeting, Shafiqur emphasized the deep civilizational ties between the two countries and expressed his hope to strengthen bilateral relations.Out of the 300 seats up for election, results for two seats were suspended, while the election for one seat was canceled due to the death of a candidate. Out of 297 seats, BNP won 209 seats and JeI 68 seats.
