Former aide of Khaleda Zia from Washington comes under scrutiny for his inquiries about Kejriwal.

Bangladeshi origin journalist Mushfiqul Fazal Ansarey from Washington has attracted attention for his repetitive inquiries to the State Department and the UN regarding the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the freezing of Congress’s funds.

A dispute between India and the USA emerged this week regarding Kejriwal as a result of Ansarey’s questioning during the State Department press conference on Kejriwal and the Indian elections.

On March 27, he interrogated US State Department spokesperson Mathew Millar and directed the same question to the United Nations spokesperson on March 28. India strongly criticized the US remarks as unwarranted and interfering in internal matters.

Interestingly, Ansanity served as the assistant press secretary to BNP leader Khaleda Zia when she held the position of Prime Minister of Bangladesh from 2001-06. An ex-member of BNP’s student wing, Ansarey currently resides in the USA in self-imposed exile. Last year, he gained attention for his continuous inquiries to the State Department regarding the perceived lack of ‘free and fair’ elections in Bangladesh. The USA raised concerns about Bangladesh’s election process leading up to the polls.

In his writings, Ansarey frequently accuses India of supporting the Sheikh Hasina regime in Bangladesh. He identifies himself as a White House correspondent for the Bangladeshi portal Just News BD. Reports from Bangladesh suggest that Ansarey’s stay in Washington is financially supported by BNP and its partner Jamaat-e-Islami, which is currently banned.

In 2022, Ansarey was charged by the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) department of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) and was labeled as ‘absconding’ in the case.

During Zia’s tenure as Prime Minister, India’s relationship with Bangladesh faced challenges as her administration provided refuge to insurgents and terrorists from the Northeast who had connections with Pakistan’s ISI. Zia’s government often harbored outlawed terrorist organizations, causing unease in India. Several terror incidents in India between 2001-06 were linked to elements based in Bangladesh.