New Dhaka Times: Desk Report
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has strongly protested the statement made by Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs of India, regarding Bangladesh’s national elections. In a statement on Saturday (31 May), the party described India’s remarks as unwarranted and contrary to diplomatic norms.
In the statement, Acting Secretary General of Jamaat-e-Islami, Maulana ATM Masum, said that in the regular press conference of India’s Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday, 29 May, Randhir Jaiswal stated that “India wants to see elections in Bangladesh as soon as possible.” This is an unauthorized interference in the internal affairs of an independent and sovereign state. He further stated that such comments are tantamount to violating the UN Charter and are against international diplomatic etiquette.
Maulana Masum said, “When the national election of Bangladesh will be held is entirely a matter for the people and the government of the country. Such remarks by a foreign country hurt the independence and sovereignty of the nation.”
Addressing the Indian government, he said that in the future, any comments on the internal affairs of Bangladesh should comply with the principles of the United Nations. At the same time, Jamaat-e-Islami labeled the statement of the spokesperson of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs as ‘unwarranted’ and ‘objectionable’ and urged the government of Bangladesh to officially protest against this remark.
According to Jamaat, in order to maintain friendly relations with neighboring countries, it is extremely important to respect each other’s internal matters.