The leaders of top three political parties in Bangladesh did not attempt to meet with Pope Francis during his visit to Bangladesh. Neither Khaleda Zia, nor HM Ershad, or Raushan Ershad made any overtures to sit down with the pontiff over his three-day visit to Bangladesh. Party spokespersons said the pope’s visit was not political in nature, but rather humanitarian. Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, a top BNP leader, said: “The pope is a religious leader, he is not here for any political purposes. Jatiya Party MP Fakhrul Imam, who is a confidant to opposition leader Raushan Ershad, said the pope’s visit had slipped under their radar.

Source: Dhaka Tribune December 02, 2017 07:52 UTC