'Opposition leader's foreign affairs adviser': What MoFA says about Jamaat letter
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs further said it is prepared to make the full text of the letter public if Shafiqur provides written consent.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs today (11 March) clarified the circumstances of sending a letter to the Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman by Jamaat Ameer Shafiqur Rahman, rejecting a media claim of any related phone conversation involving Jamaat leaders.
In a statement, the ministry said, "Prof Mohammad Mahmudul Hasan, acting as the foreign affairs adviser to the leader of the opposition, sent the letter electronically to the foreign minister on 22 February on behalf of Shafiqur Rahman."
"Later, Hasan personally handed over the same letter to the foreign minister, which was written on the official letterhead of the leader of the opposition in the Parliament," the statement added.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
The subject of the letter was: "Appointment and recommendation of Dr Mohammad Mahmudul Hasan to the rank of Adviser or Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as the 'foreign affairs adviser to the leader of the opposition'."
According to the statement, in the signed letter, Shafiqur praised Dr Hasan's skills, professionalism, and prudence, and recommended him to the Foreign Minister for appointment to the said position in order to jointly advance the country's foreign policy, reads the statement.
He requested the foreign minister to give special consideration to the matter.
The MoFA noted that the letter bears only the signature of Shafiqur Rahman.
It further said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is prepared to make the full text of the letter public, if Shafiqur provides written consent.
The ministry also rejected a claim made in a newspaper report stating that "Jamaat directly contacted the foreign minister by phone regarding the letter."
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs clearly states that no such phone conversation took place," the statement said. "The report also stated that the Jamaat ameer was not aware of the said letter."
Yesterday, in a statement, Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar clarified recent media report regarding the letter, saying necessary action has already been taken after the matter came to the party's attention.
He said the incident, which has recently been reported in the media, actually took place around two weeks ago.
However, Porwar said Mahmudul Hasan added some matters to the letter that were beyond the instructions given by the party leadership before sending it to the ministry. "In particular, the portion of the letter referring to the 'minister status or designation' had not been authorised by the party chief."
The Jamaat leader further stated that the party also contacted the foreign minister directly over the phone to clarify that the party ameer had not been aware of the contents of the letter.
Meanwhile, Shafiqur Rahman is not yet officially recognised as the leader of the opposition in Parliament.
He has been referring to himself as such in public statements. Yet the only authority empowered to recognise the leader of the opposition is the speaker of Parliament.
Although Jamaat's parliamentary party reportedly elected him as its leader, the decision must be formally communicated to the speaker. The parliament secretariat must then publish an official gazette recognising him as leader of the opposition.
In the 13th national election held on 12 February, the BNP secured 209 seats, while the Jamaat won 68 seats in the parliament.
