Opposition leader in parliament and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman has asked Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman to appoint his foreign affairs adviser, Professor Mohammad Mahmudul Hasan, to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the rank of minister.Shafiqur Rahman sent a letter to the ministry on February 22 on the matter.In the letter, the opposition leader said Professor Mohammad Mahmudul Hasan had been carrying out diplomatic responsibilities efficiently as his foreign affairs adviser.He said the adviser had the skills and professional network to improve mutual relations with states.

Through this, he said, the adviser had been able to prudently strengthen bilateral relations on behalf of Jamaat-e-Islami for Bangladesh and the state with the United Nations, the Commonwealth, the ASEAN Regional Forum, the European Union, and various countries in Asia, Africa, Oceania, the Americas and Europe.

The opposition leader described the proposal to appoint his foreign affairs adviser to the foreign ministry as “new” and “novel”.

He said the appointment of Professor Mohammad Mahmudul Hasan would make it possible to present, review and balance the opposition party’s “foreign policies” in international relations before the Bangladesh government.

In his letter to Khalilur Rahman, Shafiqur Rahman wrote: “I am recommending the appointment for the government’s consideration in order to manage geopolitical dynamics and the country’s foreign policy together.”

However, foreign ministry officials said no final decision had yet been taken on the opposition leader’s letter.