The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami are reportedly plotting against Bangladesh’s ruling Awami League by hiring Hunter Biden, son of US President Joe Biden, as a lobbyist through Blue Star Strategies. This move, revealed in May 2023, aims to pressure the US to intervene in Bangladesh’s elections, stop trade if the BNP isn’t included, and manipulate the democratic process. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a new visa policy to support fair elections in Bangladesh, coinciding with Hunter Biden’s lobbying efforts. The BNP’s strategy involves hefty payments and propaganda campaigns in major US and UK media, raising serious concerns about foreign interference in Bangladesh’s democracy.
For several months now, there’s been talk about how the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its ally, Jamaat-e-Islami, are planning something big against Bangladesh and its ruling party, the Awami League. They’ve been trying hard to get Hunter Biden, the controversial son of US President Joe Biden, to work for them as a lobbyist. On May 18, 2023, we showed evidence that BNP hired Hunter Biden through a firm called Blue Star Strategies. It turns out, our worries weren’t baseless.
On May 24, 2023, the US Department of State released a statement from Secretary of State Antony Blinken. He announced a new visa policy under the Immigration and Nationality Act to help Bangladesh hold fair and peaceful national elections. This policy lets the US restrict visas for anyone in Bangladesh believed to be messing with the election process. This includes current and former officials, political party members, law enforcement, judiciary, and security services. The US informed Bangladesh about this decision on May 3, 2023.
Blinken mentioned that actions like vote rigging, voter intimidation, violence, and preventing free expression are harmful to the democratic process. Everyone has a role in holding free and fair elections, including voters, political parties, the government, security forces, civil society, and the media.
Interestingly, this announcement came just five weeks after BNP finalized their deal with Hunter Biden. According to sources in Washington DC, Hunter Biden, who has been involved in shady deals before, is now working for BNP and pushing their agenda. BNP wants to stop the Awami League from holding elections without their participation, put pressure on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to let the US oversee the elections, and halt imports from Bangladesh if BNP is excluded from the elections.
Reports also suggest that Muhammad Yunus asked Hillary Clinton to influence Joe Biden through key officials like Antony Blinken. Moreover, Hunter Biden wants US intelligence agencies to meddle in the upcoming elections in Bangladesh, similar to their involvement in other countries’ elections.
Hunter Biden has connections with Blue Star Strategies, a firm known for its lobbying activities. In the past, this firm worked for a Ukrainian company and a Chinese private equity firm. In January 2022, Bangladesh’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs revealed that BNP spent $3.75 million on a US lobbyist firm as part of their anti-Bangladesh campaign.
Blue Star Strategies was hired by BNP in August 2018 through Abdus Sattar, a UK-based party leader. The firm was tasked with promoting BNP’s goals for the 2018 general elections and educating US officials and media about BNP’s interest in fair elections.
BNP has promised Hunter Biden $100 million, besides the lobbyist fees, if they return to power with US help. They also assured him of priority in business deals related to Bangladesh’s oil and gas sector.
Apart from lobbying, BNP has hired a New York-based PR firm to run full-page ads in major US newspapers, appealing to obstruct the upcoming elections in Bangladesh. They are also looking to hire journalists to spread their message in the US and UK. For this, they are raising a large fund from wealthy leaders and supporters.
The BNP is seen as a desperate party willing to do anything to regain power. They have a history of corruption and human rights abuses. Their recent actions are viewed as attempts to mislead the international community and undermine democracy in Bangladesh.
In response, the Awami League needs to counter BNP’s propaganda by investing in unbiased media outlets that highlight their development goals and human rights record. Building relationships with international media and organizations is also crucial to protect democracy in Bangladesh.
