Jamaat stays away from National Consensus Commission talks
Several political groups believe Jamaat's absence is due to policy differences with the commission.
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami skipped Tuesday’s session of the National Consensus Commission, leaving their assigned seats between the BNP and the Nationalist Citizens' Party (NCP) vacant until the midday break.
When questioned by reporters, BNP Standing Committee Member Salahuddin Ahmed said, “The commission itself is best positioned to explain why Jamaat did not attend today’s discussion.”
Nurul Haque Nur, President of Gono Odhikar Parishad, described the absence as a symbolic move. “As we understand, Jamaat has symbolically boycotted today’s meeting. There may be several issues on the commission’s agenda that they find difficult to reconcile with,” he said.
Expressing disappointment, Gazi Ataur Rahman, Joint Secretary General of Islami Andolon Bangladesh, commented, “As a major political force, Jamaat should have participated in today’s session. They have yet to provide any clear reason for their absence. If they remain absent after the midday break, the situation will become more apparent.”
Addressing the commission’s agenda, Ataur Rahman noted, “Ideologically, we have reached consensus on most matters. However, we do not support the proposal to reserve 100 seats solely for women. While we support women’s empowerment, we oppose any measures that we view as discriminatory.”
Several political groups believe Jamaat’s absence reflects disagreements over policy issues, particularly regarding the proposed reserved seats for women and other contentious topics. Their absence from the initial phase of discussions is being seen as a deliberate and calculated decision.
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