Japanese Ambassador meets Jamaat Ameer

Japanese Ambassador to Dhaka Saida Shinichi held a courtesy meeting with Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman at the party's central office on Sunday morning (22 June). During the meeting, the Jamaat chief presented a brief description of the party and outlined their position on freedom of speech and religious rights, reads a press release.

Describing the political persecution during Bangladesh's autocratic rule, particularly the destruction of the electoral system, he said the fallen Awami League government had completely destroyed the electoral system.

Shafiqur highlighted the farcical scenes in the name of elections in 2014, 2018, and 2024. He specifically mentioned the comment made by Japan's former ambassador Ito Naoki, who called Bangladesh's 2018 election a "midnight election."

At this time, he described how Jamaat leaders were unjustly killed in false and fabricated cases in the name of justice and presented a picture of the prison, oppression, torture, abduction, enforced disappearances, and murders during the fallen fascist era. He told the Japanese envoy how the Jamaat suffered the most persecution during the autocratic rule.

Saida Shinichi thanked the Jamaat chief and outlined his position regarding Bangladesh's upcoming elections and Japan's existing relationship with Bangladesh. He expressed confidence in holding free, fair, and peaceful elections in Bangladesh.

He also expressed optimism that bilateral relations between Japan and Bangladesh would be further strengthened in the future.