Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher on Sunday urged the government to expedite the reform process and then take steps to hold the national election as soon as possible.
“I think we shouldn’t waste much time. A consensus must be reached quickly, prioritising the critical issues for political stability and a fair and proper election. Then it is necessary to arrange for an election to be held as soon as possible” he said.
The Jamaat leader made the remarks during Jamaat’s second day talks with the National Consensus Commission at the LD Hall of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.
An 11-member Jamaat delegation, led by Taher, participated in the dialogue at 10:30am with National Consensus Commission Vice Chairman Prof Ali Riaz in the chair.
Referring to recent developments in the country, Taher said several incidents since Jamaat's last meeting with the Consensus Commission (on April 26).
“Some analysts think there might be conspiracies behind these incidents to destabilise the country. The ongoing process to create unrest in the country in many ways appears to be part of such plots,” he said.
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The Jamaat leader called on the interim government to tackle these things with firmness and accuracy, pledging Jamaat’s support for all positive initiatives.
“Our primary goal is to ensure the next election is free, fair, credible, and free from violence,” he said, adding that the last three elections were the main reasons behind the present situation of the country.
A completely acceptable, fair and free election is the only solution to come out from this situation, he added.
Taher said the failure to announce a clear election timeline was contributing to unrest within political parties. “That’s why I would like to request the Consensus Commission that…we should reach a consensus (over reform issues) on not consuming so much time here,” he said.
He, however, expressed concern that the current environment still does not reflect the conditions needed for a fully credible and fair election as various problems have already surfaced in some constituencies.
“I personally think that the situation for the arrangement of the next election in a completely fair and just manner is not being observed yet,” he said.
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Noting that Jamaat’s office in Pabna’s Atghoria was set on fire recently, and there were attacks on Jamaat supporters, he said though the date for election has not been announced yet, the competition for establishing dominance in different areas.
Pointing at the head of the Election System Reform Commission Dr Badiul Alam Majumdar who was present in the meeting, the Jamaat leader said it should ensure a system that guarantees fair and proper elections.
“Whatever measures are necessary—be they hard or accommodative—must be taken. But elections should be very fair and acceptable,” he said.
“It is our special request that we hold the election (next general election) as early as possible with these amendments and reforms,” said Taher.
The Jamaat Nayeb-e Ameer also criticised the Election Commission, saying it appeared unable to take appropriate action in some cases.
He urged the government to ensure a level playing field well ahead of the election, tackling any potential threats of violence in advance.
“The government should give this message to all political parties as well as the nation that it is committed to making the election proper and fair under any circumstances,” he continued.
Mentioning that some recent actions of the interim government give an impression of lacking neutrality or efficiency, the Jamaat leader urged the government to pay attention to it.
“The government must be completely neutral over it (election),” said Abdullah Mohammad Taher.
Earlier on April 26, Jamaat-e-Islami participated in the dialogue with the Consensus Commission for the first day.
During the first day's talks, Jamaat-e-Islami agreed to the proposals for the introduction of the proportional representation (PR) system, a bicameral parliament and the provision to prevent any individual from becoming Prime Minister more than twice.
They discussed only the Constitution-related reform recommendations on the first day.
On March 20 last, the Consensus Commission opened a series of talks with political parties to forge a national consensus on state reform initiatives undertaken by the interim government.
The commission has already held talks with more than 30 political parties, including BNP and National Citizen Party (NCP).
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Formed on February 15, 2025, under the leadership of Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus, the Commission was tasked with shaping a unified national stance on critical reforms.