Jamaat says joint govt-BNP press briefing leaves other political parties embarrassed
The party says the Yunus-led interim government and the consensus commission risk setbacks in achieving their objectives if they fail to maintain neutrality.
A joint press conference between the government and a political party is an extremely rare event in the country’s history, leaving all political parties — except the BNP — embarrassed, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami said on Wednesday.
“We welcome the Yunus-Tarique meeting, but object to the joint press conference, which has caused embarrassment for most political parties,” Jamaat Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher told reporters.
Speaking to journalists after attending a National Citizen Party (NCP) programme in Dhaka, Taher explained that Jamaat skipped Tuesday's National Consensus Commission meeting for this reason.
He warned that both the Yunus-led interim government and the consensus commission could face obstacles in achieving their objectives if they fail to maintain neutrality.
Earlier, on June 13, Chief Adviser Prof Mohammad Yunus and BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman met in London. Following the meeting, a joint press briefing announced that the two sides had agreed to schedule the upcoming national election a week before Ramadan in February next year.
The chief adviser later called the Jamaat ameer to inquire about the party’s absence from Tuesday’s meeting. In response, the Jamaat chief said he would join future discussions with the government, Taher added.
He further stated that Jamaat does not wish for the government to fail, but hopes it succeeds fully to ensure a free, fair, and credible national election.
The Jamaat leader also reiterated his party’s support for forming a National Constitution Council (NCC) to establish checks and balances across all levels of the state apparatus.
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