Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has proposed the establishment of an independent Muslim state in the Rohingya-majority areas of Myanmar`s Arakan state.
The proposal was made during a meeting with a visiting delegation of the Communist Party of China (CPC) at a hotel in Dhaka yesterday, according to a press release issued by Jamaat, reports The Daily Star.
The release said a three-member CPC delegation, led by Peng Xiubin of the International Department`s South and Southeast Asian Affairs Bureau of the party`s Central Committee, attended the meeting.
Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher led the Jamaat delegation during the meeting. Assistant Secretaries General Maulana Rafiqul Islam Khan and Ehsanul Mahbub Zubair, Executive Committee Member and Publicity and Media Secretary Motiur Rahman Akanda, Executive Committee Member and Ameer of Dhaka South city Nurul Islam Bulbul, and Executive Committee Member and Ameer of Dhaka North city Selim Uddin were also present.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Taher said, "There are 11 to 12 lakh Rohingyas in Bangladesh, living in inhumane conditions. Providing them with food and clothing is not a solution. A permanent solution lies in repatriating and rehabilitating them in their homeland. Therefore, we have proposed establishing an `Independent Arakan State` in the Rohingya-majority area."
Explaining why the proposal was made to China, the Jamaat leader said China could play a significant role as it has strong relations with Myanmar. The CPC delegation assured that they would convey the proposal to their government.
During the meeting, Jamaat leaders also urged the Chinese side to invest in the Teesta Barrage project, a second Padma Bridge, and a deep-sea port, Taher said, adding that regional security issues were also discussed.
He further mentioned that the CPC delegation expressed their willingness to invite Jamaat to an international conference in China. Jamaat, on its part, will soon invite a CPC delegation to visit Bangladesh.
