Former allies drift further apart
Efforts to contain growing political tensions between the BNP and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami are facing a fresh challenge as leaders of the two parties have stepped up their exchanges over an airport incident and the attack on a health centre in Mirpur.
Once alliance partners, the BNP and Jamaat are now openly criticising each other, raising concerns over the political fallout and the possibility of tensions spreading among their supporters.
The latest developments have also brought renewed attention to the need for political differences to be addressed through institutional and legal processes rather than escalating confrontation.
The latest exchange followed remarks by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Thursday, when he accused Jamaat, without naming it directly, of misleading voters during the February 12 election to secure parliamentary seats.
Referring to a recent incident, the prime minister said a member of what he described as a “clandestine force” had assaulted a woman and that reports had suggested the victim was killed.
He said the matter was under investigation and that he did not want to comment on a pending inquiry.
“I want to tell them, please look inside your own house first, and only then come to speak about others,” he said.
The remarks came amid growing friction over the arrest of Jamaat leader and former lawmaker Major (retd) Akhtaruzzaman following an incident at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
Police filed a case against him over allegations of disorder, obstruction of official duties and assaulting a security official during a dispute involving delayed baggage and a shortage of luggage trolleys. Detectives subsequently took him into custody.
Jamaat criticised the action. In a statement issued on Friday, Dhaka North City Ameer Mohammad Selim Uddin described the case against Akhtaruzzaman, a freedom fighter, as being based on “flimsy and trivial grounds” and said his detention was “not a good sign”.
The statement was released by the party’s city unit media secretary, Md Ataur Rahman Sarker.
Sadiq Kayem, vice-president of the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) and a Jamaat-backed mayoral candidate, also questioned the arrest in a social media post.
“If one protests after being harassed and ends up facing a case instead, is this BNP’s democracy?” he asked.
Kayem criticised airport management over complaints about inadequate luggage trolleys and damaged or missing baggage, arguing that Akhtaruzzaman had raised the issue on behalf of affected passengers.
He also questioned the government’s plans to purchase Boeing aircraft while, in his view, basic airport services remained inadequate.
Separately, Jamaat Ameer and Opposition Leader Dr Shafiqur Rahman said organisational action alone would not be sufficient over the attack, looting and vandalism at the RADDA MCH-FP Centre in Mirpur-1. He called for legal proceedings and punishment for those responsible.
His comments followed BNP disciplinary action against reserved-seat lawmaker Ferdousi Ahmed Misty, who was ordered to resign over allegations linked to the incident.
The BNP has also taken wider organisational measures against party members in connection with the controversy.
The Jamaat chief said the public wanted “visible and credible legal action”, stressing that organisational measures should be followed by due legal proceedings.
The growing friction has also caused concern within the BNP. Party insiders said senior leaders were unhappy with sustained criticism from Jamaat leaders and viewed some of the opposition party’s programmes, including its long march against the government, as politically motivated.
BNP sources said organisational instructions had been issued to prepare counter-programmes, while some activities had already begun in Dhaka and elsewhere.
BNP leaders, however, maintained that the measures were intended to respond to what they described as opposition “propaganda”, rather than being driven by pressure.
Several BNP leaders also said the recent fuel price increase amid continuing economic pressures had created unease within the party. Jamaat, the National Citizen Party (NCP) and other opposition groups had already been organising programmes, and the price increase has provided them with another issue to raise.
Some government leaders and ministers, speaking on condition of anonymity, acknowledged concerns over the government’s public image.
They said the prime minister’s personal standing currently remained an important source of political strength for the administration.
With disagreements between the two former allies becoming increasingly public, the latest developments have underscored the importance of keeping political competition within established legal and democratic channels and preventing partisan disputes from developing into wider confrontation.
