The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced its willingness to release the complete content of a widely-discussed letter if the opposition leader grants written approval. This statement was made in response to recent media coverage of a letter dated February 22, in which Jamaat-e-Islami requested the appointment of its former foreign affairs adviser, Prof Dr. Mahmudul Hasan, as an adviser to the foreign ministry with ministerial status.
According to the ministry’s clarification, Dr. Mahmudul initially transmitted the letter electronically and subsequently presented it in person to Foreign Minister Dr. Khalilur Rahman, using the official letterhead of the opposition leader. The letter highlighted Dr. Mahmudul’s expertise and endorsed his assignment to the ministry to enhance foreign policy interactions.
Furthermore, the ministry refuted a newspaper’s assertion that Jamaat had contacted the foreign minister to express the Jamaat ameer’s lack of awareness regarding the letter. The ministry explicitly denied any such telephone conversation, as stated in their release.
In a development on March 10, Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar confirmed that the Jamaat ameer and opposition leader, Dr. Shafiqur Rahman, had relieved Dr. Mahmudul of his duties for going beyond prescribed instructions in drafting the letter. He was subsequently replaced by Barrister Mir Ahmad Bin Quasem (Arman), the Member of Parliament for Dhaka-14, on March 2.
