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A delegation from the European Union has met Jamaat-e-Islami chief Shafiqur Rahman to discuss the upcoming general election and the Rohingya crisis.
The three-member delegation, led by Paola Pampaloni, director for Asia and the Pacific at the European External Action Service (EEAS), paid a courtesy call on Shafiqur at his office in Dhaka’s Bashundhara on Wednesday morning.
The delegation also included Michael Miller, the European Union’s ambassador to Bangladesh, and Monika Bylaitė, deputy head of the South Asia Division at the EEAS.
In a statement issued after the meeting, Jamaat deputy chief Taher said the talks focused on the possibility of the EU sending election observers to the upcoming national election, as well as on the Rohingya refugee situation.
He said Jamaat had stressed the need for a “transparent and credible” election, warning that a failure to hold a free and fair vote would deepen Bangladesh’s political crisis.
“If the next election is not free, fair and impartial, the crisis will not end and may instead worsen,” Taher said.
The EU delegation said it intended to send observers to the election and expressed hope that the vote would be conducted fairly. Jamaat said it welcomed the proposal.
Taher also said Jamaat had told the EU that if it came to power, it would seek to govern collectively and work with both domestic and international stakeholders on resolving the Rohingya issue.
The EU indicated it would take an active role in supporting efforts related to the Rohingya crisis.
Asked about the political environment ahead of the election, Taher expressed concern over what he described as signs of bias by the government, law-enforcing agencies and the administration towards a particular political party.
He warned that such actions risked undermining public confidence in the electoral process and could lead to a repeat of “rigged elections” of the past.
Jamaat has called on the Election Commission, the government and other relevant authorities to act impartially and ensure a credible electoral process.