As the Jamaat-e-Islami readies for its strongest showing at the polls next month, US diplomats are quietly signalling a willingness to engage with the once-banned party, reports The Washington Post, citing audio recordings it says it obtained. “We want them to be our friends,” the official added, asking whether journalists could bring members of the party’s “influential student wing” -- Islami Chhatra Shibir -- onto their programmes. The diplomat, whom The Post said it is not naming for security reasons, downplayed worries that Jamaat-e-Islami would try to force its interpretation of Islamic law on Bangladesh, saying Washington had leverage it was prepared to use. The Jamaat-e-Islami, which once faced political bans, is now “mainstream”, according to Mubashar Hasan, a Bangladesh politics expert at Western Sydney University. Since Hasina’s removal, Jamaat has met with US officials in both Washington and Dhaka, including a virtual meeting with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.

Source: bd News24 January 23, 2026 05:39 UTC