Jamaat Tells EU: Partisan law enforcers may derail polls
Staff Reporter :
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami on Wednesday warned the European Union that the alleged partisan role of law enforcement agencies and the administration could undermine the credibility of the upcoming national election and risk pushing the country back into political crisis.
The remarks were made during a courtesy call by a high-level EU delegation on Jamaat Ameer Md Shafiqur Rahman at his office in the capital’s Bashundhara area. Jamaat Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher briefed reporters after the meeting.
Taher said Jamaat leaders stressed the need for a free, fair and neutral election, arguing that the absence of credible polls has been a major driver of Bangladesh’s political turmoil over the past 55 years.
“If the next election is not held in a fair manner, the crisis will resurface,” Taher said, expressing concern over what he described as recent partisan behaviour by law enforcement agencies and the administration.
“We urged all concerned to maintain neutrality immediately to ensure public confidence in the electoral process,” he added.
According to Taher, the EU delegation informed Jamaat leaders that the bloc plans to deploy the highest possible number of observers in the upcoming election and reiterated its interest in seeing a credible electoral process in Bangladesh.
The Rohingya refugee crisis was also discussed. Taher said the delegation raised questions about the prolonged displacement of Rohingya people, and Jamaat leaders acknowledged the EU as the largest donor supporting refugees in Bangladesh. He said Jamaat told the delegation that, if it comes to power, it would work with all stakeholders to find a permanent solution to the crisis.
Responding to a question about whether Jamaat had held talks with the BNP regarding the formation of a national government, Taher said the party’s current priority remains ensuring a fair election.
Asked whether concerns over administrative bias could prompt Jamaat to stay away from the polls, he said he did not believe the situation would reach that point, adding that “conscious citizens are already observing the developments.”
The three-member EU delegation was led by Paola Pampaloni, director for Asia and the Pacific at the European External Action Service (EEAS). EU Ambassador to Bangladesh Michael Miller and Monika Bylaite, deputy head of the South Asia Division of the EEAS, were also present.
Senior Jamaat leaders, including Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher, Assistant Secretary General Ehsanul Mahbub Zubayer, senior Supreme Court lawyer Mohammad Shishir Monir, and the Ameer’s foreign affairs adviser Mahmudul Hasan, attended the meeting.