NN Online:
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami boycotted the first day of talks with the National Consensus Commission (NCC) in symbolic protest against the interim government, party Nayeb-e-Ameer Dr. Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher said Wednesday.
Speaking after joining the second day of discussions at the Foreign Service Academy, Taher cited Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus’s London visit as the reason. “We welcomed his efforts to retrieve laundered money and his meeting with BNP’s Tarique Rahman,” he said. “But issuing a joint statement with only one party, without consulting others, was inappropriate and broke neutrality.”
Taher said Jamaat’s highest policymaking body approved the boycott decision. He also criticized Yunus’s unilateral announcement of an election date in a televised speech, saying it left little room for consensus-building.
“This approach questions the impartiality of the chief adviser and risks undermining the NCC’s credibility,” he warned. “If this continues, the commission’s outcome may be insignificant—like a mountain giving birth to a mouse.”
Despite concerns, Taher said the party joined the second day of talks after receiving assurances from top officials, including Yunus, about a neutral and transparent process.
Responding to recent remarks from the home affairs adviser about a “level playing field,” Taher said, “Someone who can’t even open a locked building in a month shouldn’t speak about nationwide election security.”
On the issue of women’s reserved seats in parliament, Jamaat expressed no objection as long as allocations are proportionate.
Taher also endorsed the formation of a National Constitutional Council but recommended excluding the president, chief justice, and military officials to avoid future conflicts of interest.
He was accompanied by Assistant Secretaries General Rafiqul Islam Khan and Hamidur Rahman Azad at the press briefing.
