‘Political parties seemed poised for confrontation’

Staff Reporter:

Information and Broadcasting Adviser Mahfuj Alam on Saturday cautioned that political parties are “gearing up for confrontation” ahead of the next national election, warning that the brewing tensions may become apparent within the next few months.

“Almost everyone seems eager for conflict, and you’ll begin to see signs of it soon. My concern is that if religious elements get involved, Bangladesh’s situation could deteriorate even further,” Mahfuj said while addressing a national dialogue titled ‘Shrine Culture: Violence, Crisis and Future Thought’ at BM Bhaban in Segunbagicha.

He noted that so far, parties have avoided direct clashes largely because of the chief adviser’s firm stance against such unrest.

Although state-level fascism has come to an end, Mahfuj observed that social fascism still persists.

“Without dialogue and engagement among the various Islamic groups in the country, the state will face serious difficulties. Around 90–92% of Muslims here belong to different sects, but political leaders have failed to unite them. Instead, they’ve deepened sectarian divisions and turned religious institutions into instruments of politics,” he said.

Commenting on the recent attacks on shrines, Mahfuj claimed, “Certain embassies operating in Bangladesh wish to see these shrines destroyed. We need to confront these crises through coordinated state, political, and policy efforts—without fear of religious backlash—otherwise, the problem will only worsen.”

He urged shrine management committees to seek legal remedies against such attacks. “If this pattern continues, one sect of Islam will end up targeting the mosques of another. Today it’s the Sufis under attack; tomorrow it could be the Qaumi. This cycle must be broken,” he warned.

When asked by a journalist at the end of the event about the timing of his possible resignation, Mahfuj declined to comment, saying the question was irrelevant to the day’s discussion.