Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar has launched a sharp critique against BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman, questioning his political wisdom following recent remarks regarding the 1971 Liberation War.
Speaking on Friday morning during the second day of the election campaign for the 13th parliamentary election, Parwar expressed disappointment over Tarique Rahman’s current stance.
“I thought he had gained political wisdom while living in London. But now I see him quoting scriptures, calling Jamaat ‘kufr’ and telling people to remember 1971,” the Jamaat leader said.
Parwar highlighted what he described as political inconsistency within the BNP leadership regarding their historical relationship with Jamaat-e-Islami.
He reminded that Tarique Rahman’s father, the late president Ziaur Rahman, had appointed 13 individuals who sided with Pakistan as ministers and lawmakers. He noted that Tarique’s mother, Begum Khaleda Zia, formed a government in 1991 with the support of 18 Jamaat MPs.
“They did not use the ‘Razakar’ slur then. Was 1971 not in their memory at that time?” Parwar asked, adding that the BNP’s attitude seems to be that Jamaat members are “companions when together, but militants when not.”
Election campaign in Khulna-5
Parwar, Jamaat’s candidate for Khulna-5 constituency under “Scales” (Daripalla) symbol, conducted public relations activities in Arafat Nagar, situated in Dumuria upazila.
Addressing a brief street meeting attended by people from various professions, the secretary general warned voters against the influence of “corrupt money.”
He alleged that certain quarters are attempting to buy the public’s mandate with accumulated illegal wealth, offering between Tk500 and Tk1,000 to compromise the conscience of the voters. He urged the electorate not to sell their votes or their dignity for money.
Vision for a ‘New Bangladesh’
Turning his focus toward the future of the country, the Jamaat leader argued that those who have ruled the nation for the past 54 years should not be allowed to return to power. He questioned whether a “New Bangladesh” could truly be realised if the same political forces were reinstated.
Regarding the history of the nation, Professor Parwar asserted that the issue of 1971 is already “settled” and maintained that Jamaat-e-Islami committed no crimes during the Liberation War.
