In a notable instance of U.S. involvement in Bangladesh’s domestic affairs, Tracey Ann Jacobson, the American Chargé d’Affaires in Dhaka, hosted several leaders from the National Citizens Party (NCP) at her Gulshan residence today. This meeting included NCP convenor Nahid Islam, Member Secretary Akhtar Hossain, and Senior Joint Secretary Tasmin Zara, with U.S. embassy diplomat Eric Geelan also present.
Tasmin Zara was among five NCP leaders who missed an event on August 5 related to the former Anti-Discrimination Students’ Movement in Dhaka. She spent at least four days, beyond that date, in Cox’s Bazar with fellow leaders Hasnat Abdullah, Sarjis Alam, Nasiruddin Patwari, and Khaled Saifullah.
Their absence highlighted a rift within the NCP, as these five functionaries opposed Chief Adviser Mohammad Yunus’s announcement of election dates. The meeting at Jacobson’s home hints that the U.S. embassy is seeking to mediate the discord between the differing factions of the NCP. Both Hossain and Islam had previously issued notices to the five dissenters.
During their stay, the five NCP leaders lodged in upscale hotels in Cox’s Bazar, known as one of Bangladesh’s premier seaside destinations. They initially checked into the five-star Hotel Sea Pearl on August 5, but public scrutiny led them to relocate shortly thereafter. Reports suggest they spent three hours in a room at Sea Pearl, engaging in a “virtual meeting” with a foreign individual believed to be former U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter D. Haas.
Bangladeshi security agencies, including the Special Branch and the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), monitored the group closely, gathering considerable information regarding their communications during their time in Cox’s Bazar.
Original Source: https://nenews.in/neighbours/us-charge-daffaires-in-dhaka-tracey-jacobson-intervenes-to-settle-rift-in-ncp/30622/
Category: Neighbours,Bangladesh,NCP,Tracey Ann Jacobson,US Chargé d’Affaires
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Publish Date: 2025-08-11 20:56:00
