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Leader of the Opposition and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman has said his party has no history of meeting intelligence agencies of any country, insisting that Jamaat is a political party that engages with political opponents and allies, not intelligence agencies.
“We have no question of sitting with any agency. We are a political party and will meet political opponents and friends,” he said.
He made the remarks in response to Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed’s statement under Rule 300 during the third day of the fourth session of the National Parliament on Wednesday.
Shafiqur alleged that those accusing Jamaat of having links with foreign intelligence agencies were themselves involved in meetings with such agencies at home and abroad.
He claimed that some political leaders had travelled to countries where the agencies were based, met their representatives and expressed regret, publicly admitting that their party’s past policies were wrong and promising not to repeat those mistakes.
Responding to the home minister’s remarks about alleged encouragement from across the border and possible links between a political party and foreign intelligence agencies, the Jamaat chief demanded clarification.
He said if the minister was referring to an individual allegedly assigned by the government to monitor Jamaat around the clock, the party had already challenged the allegations and demanded evidence.
Shafiqur also rejected claims that he had forgiven the Awami League, saying his 22-minute press conference on August 12 did not mention the party even once. He said the full video was still available for verification.
On drug control, he questioned the government’s ability to tackle narcotics, alleging that some ruling party leaders were themselves involved in controlling drug networks. He cited remarks by ruling party lawmakers in parliament about drug syndicates and the movement of major drug consignments.
Calling for national unity against fascism, Shafiqur said the country should not be allowed to suffer again under authoritarian rule. He urged the government to take effective action on issues raised in parliament.
On law and order, he criticised repeated claims of improvement, saying Bangladesh should remain independent and free from foreign domination.
Referring to the home minister’s claim that murders had declined from 22 to 12, Shafiqur said the opposition would applaud the government if killings were brought down to zero. He added that the opposition would give the minister all the applause he wanted if that target was achieved.
