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Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) on Tuesday described Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami’s statement on its recent research report as misleading and a distortion of the truth.
In a press release, TIB said the party’s claim that women were adequately represented at all levels through separate committees was misleading and did not reflect genuine political inclusion.
TIB clarified that its research, titled “Institutional Good Governance in Political Parties of Bangladesh”, focused specifically on representation of women in central executive committees.
According to TIB, Jamaat-e-Islami’s 19-member Central Executive Council for the 2023–25 term had no female members, despite the Representation of the People Order (RPO), 1972, requiring political parties to set a target of reserving at least 33 per cent of committee positions for women by 2030.
Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar had earlier rejected the findings, claiming that the party’s Central Working Council included 21 women and its Central Majlis-e-Shura had 122 female members. He also said women accounted for around 43 per cent of the party’s total members.
However, TIB said these figures were irrelevant to its findings, which examined representation in central executive bodies rather than overall membership or other organisational forums.
The organisation also criticised Jamaat for maintaining separate organisational committees for women, saying such arrangements confined female members to a limited sphere instead of ensuring their participation in mainstream decision-making and leadership positions.
TIB further pointed out that Jamaat did not nominate any female candidate in the 13th parliamentary election, despite its claim of having a substantial number of women members.
It also said several provisions of the party’s constitution appeared inconsistent with constitutional principles concerning popular sovereignty, secularism, religious freedom and non-discrimination.
Reaffirming the credibility of its findings, TIB said the research was conducted using internationally recognised methodologies, with information collected through interviews and cross-checking of multiple sources.
The organisation urged all political parties to take the findings seriously and undertake necessary institutional reforms.
