FROM PAGE 5

a concern, as ties between the two countries have hit their lowest point in decades since her downfall.

India, South Asia’s biggest power, had cultivated a close working relationship with Hasina, helping expand business and trade ties between the neighbours.

As New Delhi seeks to engage parties that could form the next government, Shafiqur confirmed meeting an Indian diplomat earlier this year after his bypass surgery. Unlike diplomats from other countries who made open courtesy visits to him, the Indian official asked that the meeting remain confidential, the Jamaat chief said.

“Why? There are so many diplomats who visited me and it was made public. Where is the problem?” Rahman said. “So we must become open to all and open to each other. There is no alternative to develop our relationship.”

India’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Shafiqur’s statement about the meeting or any request for it to be confidential.

An Indian government source confirmed contacts with various parties.

Asked about Jamaat’s historical closeness to Pakistan, the Jamaat chief said: “We maintain relations in a balanced way with all. We are never interested in leaning toward any one country. Rather, we respect all and want balanced relations among nations.”

He said any government that includes Jamaat would “not feel comfortable” with President Mohammed Shahabuddin, who was elected unopposed with the AL’s backing in 2023.

Shahabuddin, the ceremonial head of the country, himself told Reuters this month that he was willing to step down midway through his term.

Shahabuddin, in a telephone conversation with Reuters yesterday, declined to comment on Rahman’s position, saying he did not want to “complicate the matter further”.