As Bangladesh is gearing up for the controversial February 12 elections, it has come to fore that US diplomats are actively engaging with the radical Islamist political party, the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami.
A leading newspaper in the US, The Washington Post, on January 22, exposed that the diplomats are hobnobbing with the perpetrators of genocide in Bangladesh.
The Washington Post also shared a leaked audio clip of a closed-door media interaction between a US diplomat and some female Bangladeshi journalists, which occurred on December 1 last year at the US Embassy in Dhaka.
It was apparent from the conversation that the US is trying to ‘befriend’ the Jamaat-e-Islami in anticipation of its potential victory in the upcoming electoral battle in Bangladesh.
The unnamed US diplomat was also heard claiming that Bangladesh has ‘shifted Islamic’ and that it was in the best interests of the US to be “friends” with the radical Islamist party.
“We want them (Jamaat-e-Islami) to be our friends,” the US diplomat was heard saying in the leaked audio clip that has now gone viral on social media.
Interestingly, the US diplomat also ruled out the possibility of threats by the Jamaat-e-Islami to the Bangladeshi society. “I simply do not believe that Jamaat can impose sharia,” he claimed.
The US diplomat lauded the conviction of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina by a court of Bangladesh as ‘political genius’ and ‘impressive.’
The erstwhile Biden administration had played a pro-active role to distort the public perception of the Awami League leader and always presented her as an autocratic leader.
The US government had also mobilized all resources to ruin the Awami League’s electoral prospects during the 2024 election in Bangladesh under the pretext of conducting free and fair elections.
The US government had apparently turned hostile towards Sheikh Hasina, and her government because she had refused to allow Washington to use St Martin’s Island as its military base.
She had even highlighted that Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s assassination was masterminded after he had refused to cede St Martin’s Island to Washington.
The St Martin’s Island is located in the northeastern region of the Bay of Bengal. The island is close to the border between Bangladesh and Myanmar and stands nine kilometres away from the southern tip of Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf peninsula.
St Martin’s Island’s strategic value and location make it a popular region. A military base on the island would provide any country with oversight of the Bay of Bengal.
The island is also near the Strait of Malacca, which is one of the world’s busiest maritime trade routes. It also gives global powers more access in the Indo-Pacific region.
Despite US government’s meticulous design, Sheikh Hasina returned to power in 2024 with a strong mandate.
The US deep State continued working on its nefarious agenda, and after six months, Sheikh Hasina had to leave Dhaka, and seek asylum in New Delhi. It was a well orchestrated regime change operation.
The task to pacify the radical Islamist forces and work as an asset to the US was given to none other than Muhammad Yunus.
It is obvious that the Jamaat-e-Islami would always oppose Sheikh Hasina and her party in Bangladesh. After all, five extremists associated with Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh were hanged to death between December 2013 and September 2016.
It is surprising why the Trump administration continued to engage with the Jamaat-e-Islami and the Yunus administration in Bangladesh.
Knowing well that the Jamaat-e-Islami in Bangladesh is the over-ground organization of the Islamist terrorist outfits, the US diplomats are probably trying to create a Frankenstein in South Asia.
Moreover, the Trump administration is also aware that the flag-bearer of the Grameen Bank has always been close to the Democratic Party, and especially, Hillary Clinton.
Then, why is the US government trying to partner with the wrong teams in Bangladesh?
