Jamaat demands interrogation of Rizwana and Khalilur over ‘election engineering’

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has demanded that Syeda Rizwana Hasan, a former adviser to the interim government, and Khalilur Rahman, former security adviser who currently serves as the country’s foreign minister, be questioned and put on trial over allegations of “election engineering.”

The demands were made today at a press conference at the party’s central office in Dhaka's Moghbazar, where Jamaat Nayeb-e-Ameer and Deputy Leader of the Opposition Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher spoke about the country’s political situation.

Taher alleged that remarks made by Syeda Rizwana Hasan during a conversation with a journalist suggested interference in the electoral process. Referring to her comments, he said they implied that certain political parties were not allowed to emerge as a “main force” in national politics, which he described as “an admission of election engineering.”

Read more

Theories vs facts on Jamaat leaders’ narrow defeats

“We want to know from the then interim government and the present government whether there was any collusion to engineer the election in order to prevent Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami from securing a majority as a mainstream party,” Taher said.

He said officials such as deputy commissioners, superintendents of police, UNOs, officers-in-charge and presiding officers were appointed “in line with a specific design to influence the polls in favour of a particular party.” He called on the government to question Rizwana and clarify the situation.

Taher also said that Khalilur should be interrogated over his role during the interim government period.

He said the interim administration had pledged to maintain neutrality similar to that of a caretaker government, assuring that its advisers would not assume ministerial roles under a partisan administration. However, he noted that Khalilur Rahman later took oath as foreign minister, a move he described as “contradictory to that position.”

Alleging that Khalilur played a role in influencing the government in favour of the current ruling party, Taher said he should be removed from the cabinet and brought under questioning “in the interest of transparency.”

On reform initiatives, Taher claimed that a writ petition filed with the court challenging reform measures was “backed by the government in order to delay implementation.” He also said that Jamaat would politically resist any verdict “that goes against the people’s mandate.”

He called on the government to implement the July Charter from the first session of parliament and to incorporate it into the constitution through a proper legal process.

Referring to post-election violence, Taher said that in areas where Jamaat received more votes, there had been “incidents of attacks, arson and threats.” He also alleged that partisan appointments were taking place in different institutions and that attempts were being made to create instability at universities.

Taher said Jamaat believes it could have formed the government had the election been fair. He added that the party is trying to establish a new political culture and urged BNP to run the state through consultation and dialogue. He also said Jamaat had not been adequately consulted on key decisions.

On the issue of the deputy speaker, Taher said the current constitution provides for one speaker and one deputy speaker, while the proposed July charter envisions “one speaker and two deputy speakers -- one from the treasury bench and one from the opposition.” He said Jamaat would consider the matter if the government sends a written proposal.

Responding to a question about a courtesy meeting with US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Paul Kapur, Taher said discussions covered “bilateral relations, potential US investment in artificial intelligence and job creation for students.” He added that Jamaat supports peaceful diplomatic solutions to international conflicts.

On trade agreement with the United States, he said the government should proceed by safeguarding Bangladesh’s interests and seek lower tariffs on Bangladeshi goods, noting that Bangladesh is a major importer of US cotton.

Other leaders present at the press conference included Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar, Opposition Chief Whip Rafiqul Islam Khan, Dhaka-12 lawmaker Saiful Alam Khan (Milon), central executive council member Advocate Shishir Monir and Zahidur Rahman.