Jamaat-e-Islami Nayeb-e-Ameer Dr Syed Abdullah Mohammed Taher on Thursday said his party had filed specific complaints over voting in 53 constituencies in the national election held on February 12.
Referring to Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman, he alleged that Dr Khalilur Rahman, who was then the National Security Adviser to the interim government, had planned in a special meeting in London to bring the BNP to power. As part of that plan, many believe he played a role in election engineering from within the interim government.
Taher said Rahman later received a place in the BNP government’s cabinet as a reward for his role. He mentioned that if Rahman is brought to trial and questioned, the truth will come out.
The Jamaat leader made the allegation while speaking at a press briefing held at the party’s central office at 12pm on the overall situation in the country.
Referring to a recent statement by former adviser Rizwana Hasan, he said she had recently remarked in a television interview: “Those who could not ensure the proper rights of women, even if they were in the opposition, we did not allow them to come as the mainstream or main force.”
Taher said this statement suggests that she herself has become a kind of royal witness by admitting that election engineering took place in the national election.
He said Jamaat now wants to know from her, from the then interim government and from the current government why a party like Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami was prevented from gaining a majority as the mainstream party through such engineering. He also asked who else was involved in the alleged process.
Taher said their statements clearly indicate that the two former advisers were involved in election engineering and demanded that they be interrogated immediately and brought to justice.
Regarding the nomination for the post of Deputy Speaker, Syed Abdullah Md Taher said the party would consider the matter if it receives a written proposal from the government and if the government’s position on implementing the July Charter becomes clear, in line with the constitution.
Speaking about the deterioration of the law and order situation, Taher said several children had been raped and killed in recent days, which is very alarming.
He also alleged that incidents of attacks and vandalism under the protection of ruling party leaders and activists have been reported in various media outlets across the country.
He said it is worrying that in many cases police stations are even delaying the filing of cases instead of ensuring justice.
Referring to the meeting with US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Paul Kapur, Taher said they discussed bilateral relations as well as trade and commerce.
He said Jamaat urged the US side to invest in the artificial intelligence sector.
“We also told them regarding the Israel-Iran war that we do not want war, we want peace. All problems should be resolved through talks and diplomatic channels,” he said.
Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar, Assistant Secretary General Maulana Rafiqul Islam Khan MP, Central Executive Council Member Saiful Alam Khan Milon MP, Central Working Committee Member Zahidur Rahman, and Senior Supreme Court lawyer Advocate Shishir Md Monir, were also present.