As the Jamaat-e-Islami, Bangladesh's most prominent Islamist party, prepares for what analysts expect to be its strongest electoral showing yet, US diplomats are signalling their willingness to engage with it, reports The Washington Post. The diplomat notes Bangladesh's "Islamic shift", and seeks to build bridges with Jamaat. Experts, however, cautioned that drawing the Jamaat, which has a pro-Pakistan tilt, closer could hurt the already fraught India-US ties. Though the American Embassy in Bangladesh clarified that the US didn't favour any political party and the interaction was a "routine, off-the-record" exchange, the signal is unmissable. US SETS REDS LINES IN BANGLADESH JAMAAT OUTREACHadvertisementHistorically outlawed under successive governments, most recently during Hasina's tenure, Jamaat has long advocated sharia-based governance and socially conservative policies, including past proposals to reduce women's working hours.
