Interim govt did not consult Jamaat on international agreements: Shafiqur

The interim government did not consult with his party on agreements signed with various countries during its tenure, Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman said today (6 March).

"During the tenure of the interim government, several agreements were signed with different countries. Unfortunately, we were not consulted in any way regarding those agreements," he wrote in a post on his verified Facebook page in the afternoon.

He mentioned that Jamaat had repeatedly urged that, in the absence of a parliament, the interim government should make decisions on important matters, such as international agreements, through discussions with political parties — similar to how the government consulted political parties on other national issues.

"However, the government of that time did not consider our demands. So, our position on the matter is clear, and there is no room for creating any confusion here," Shafiqur said.

Earlier on Wednesday, Foreign Minister Dr Khalilur Rahman rejected claims that the reciprocal trade agreement between Bangladesh and the US was signed abruptly just days before the recently held national election. He said the matter had been discussed in advance with the leadership of the country's two major political parties - taken to mean the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami- and both had agreed to its signing.