It seems that the geopolitics centering around Bangladesh and the stalled controversial proposal of a “humanitarian corridor” to the Rakhine State is inextricably linked to one destination – Qatar.
After a two-day visit to Doha, Qatar, by Bangladesh’s National Security Adviser (NSA) Khalilur Rahman, Jamaat-e-Islami amir Shafiqur Rahman, will be headed for that West Asian city.
There is neither confirmation on why Shafiqur Rahman is headed for Doha nor is there any information so far on who he will meet there.
More importantly, the JeI chief is said to have held a closed-door meeting with Bangladesh Army chief General Waker-uz-Zaman yesterday. It is likely that he kept Gen Zaman informed of his Doha visit.
Earlier, Northeast News had reported that US Charge d’Affaires Tracey Ann Jacobson also took a flight to Doha on May 22, ostensibly to go on leave to her home country.
But Bangladesh government sources said that Jacobson’s destination was the Qatari capital where she is said to have met key American functionaries.
Three days later, Khalilur Rahman was in Doha to invite the Qatar Amir Tamim bin Hamad Khalifa Al Thani’s daughter to visit a Rohingya camp in Cox’s Bazar.
However, other Bangladesh government sources said that Khalilur Rahman may have met US officials for consultations on the “humanitarian corridor” issue which is central to the geopolitics surrounding the Rakhine State in general and the Arakan Army in particular. Khalilur Rahman returned to Dhaka today.
There is now some indication that the “humanitarian corridor” issue has stalled following intense opposition from the Bangladesh Army and political parties, including the BNP. This was primarily because the “fraught” issue is militarily sensitive from Bangladesh’s perspective and related regional concerns.
