Staff Reporter:
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has criticised the Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s (BNP) recent appeal to the Election Commission (EC) not to assign employees of certain service-oriented institutions—such as Islami Bank, Al-Arafah Islami Bank, Islami Bank Hospital, and Ibn Sina Hospital—to election duties, calling the move “irrational and politically motivated.”
In a statement issued on Sunday (26 October), Jamaat’s Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar said, “On 23 October, BNP urged the Election Commission not to assign officials or employees from Islami Bank, Al-Arafah Islami Bank, Islami Bank Hospital, and Ibn Sina Hospital, among others, to election duties. I express my concern over such a call. We believe this demand is politically motivated, irrational, and completely unacceptable. There is no logical basis behind it.”
Porwar said the institutions in question are “non-political and service-oriented” bodies that have earned public trust through long-standing professionalism. “They have been performing their duties with efficiency and integrity for a long time, earning the satisfaction of people from all walks of life. The officials and employees of these institutions are known for their honesty and dedication. Their neutrality has never been questioned,” he stated.
Warning that such politically charged accusations could fuel confusion and instability ahead of the national election, the Jamaat leader added, “The people believe that if political parties continue to make baseless allegations against service-oriented and non-political institutions, it will create an unstable environment around the election.” He urged the EC not to entertain what he described as BNP’s “misleading, baseless, flimsy, and politically motivated demand.”
Meanwhile, speaking at the Gono Odhikar Parishad’s fourth founding anniversary event at the Diploma Engineers Institution in the capital earlier yesterday, Parwar cautioned political parties against external interference in the run-up to the polls.
“Many foreign powers and various agencies are likely to become active within the country as the elections approach,” he said, without naming any specific nation. “In a fascism-free Bangladesh, many obstacles will arise on the path to establishing a genuine democratic environment and building a humane nation. Therefore, despite differences in ideology, political parties should remain united on core issues of nation-building.”
Porwar emphasised that there is “no fundamental disagreement among political parties” on ensuring that the next government is formed through the people’s free and fair voting rights. He expressed hope that shared national goals would prevent both internal and external forces from obstructing the country’s democratic progress.
The interim government has announced that the 13th parliamentary election will be held in February next year. To ensure a smooth and inclusive electoral process, Porwar called on all political parties to act responsibly and cooperate in maintaining stability ahead of the vote.
