Parties React Autocracy’s shadow lifts
Mohammed Shahabuddin’s resignation as president on Friday drew swift and sharp reactions from political parties, with some welcoming his exit as overdue and others going further to demand his arrest.
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami called the move “a dark shadow of autocracy” lifting, while another political party, the National Citizen Party (NCP), demanded the immediate arrest of Shahabuddin, whom it referred to by the derisive nickname “Chuppu.”
Jamaat: “A dark shadow of autocracy has lifted”
Leader of the Opposition in parliament and Amir of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Dr Shafiqur Rahman, said that although it had come late, a dark shadow of autocracy had finally lifted from the nation’s shoulders, adding that the party was thankful to Allah for the development.
He was speaking at an emergency press conference called on Friday to react to the president’s resignation.
Rahman described Shahabuddin as a fascist force, saying he had failed in his duty as president by not acting against the mass killings carried out by the then Hasina government during the July uprising.
He said Jamaat had no interest in the president’s stated reasons for stepping down, since the party had long held the view that Shahabuddin was unfit for the office and had lost his standing to hold it.
Referring to Article 54 of the constitution, under which the Speaker has taken over as Acting President, Rahman congratulated Hafiz Uddin Ahmad and urged him to discharge his responsibilities impartially and without bias for as long as he remains in the post, pledging Jamaat’s full cooperation if he does so.
Rahman also noted that, under the constitution, a new president must be elected within 90 days, and since a session of parliament would fall within that window, the election was likely to proceed through the normal process. He added that Jamaat’s own role would become clear “when the time comes.”
NCP spokesperson demands arrest
Separately, NCP spokesperson Asif Mahmud Sojib Bhuiyan called for Shahabuddin’s arrest following his resignation.
Posting a cartoon-style image on his verified Facebook page on Friday afternoon, Bhuiyan wrote that Shahabuddin — whom he referred to as “Chuppu” — must be arrested immediately as a collaborator of fascism.
The demand echoes remarks made a day earlier by NCP Convener Nahid Islam, who told supporters that Shahabuddin should be arrested rather than simply asked to resign.
Addressing the party’s July march and roadside rally in Jamalpur Sadar upazila as chief guest, Islam argued that resignation alone was not enough, and that a qualified, neutral, guardian-like figure should be installed as president instead.
He was also critical of the BNP, saying it had failed in five months to replace the Awami League–era president and questioning how a government unable to do that could bring about broader change in the state.
