Several policymakers in the Ministry of External Affairs confirmed to Prothom Alo that the Foreign Minister had received the request from the opposition leader.
On the condition of anonymity, a trusted official said that a letter was sent to the ministry on February 22 from the office of the opposition leader regarding this matter.
However, many former foreign secretaries and professional diplomats say that such an appointment has never happened in Bangladesh. Nor, they note, is there any known example of such a practice in countries in the region.
According to him, in many western countries including the United Kingdom, opposition parties play a role through the shadow cabinet. In neighboring India and Pakistan, there are examples where all political parties have worked together during major crises or special circumstances.