Opposition parties have questioned the appointment of Khalilur Rahman as foreign minister in the BNP government, raising concerns about a potential conflict of interest and the credibility of the election process.
Leaders from Jamaat-e-Islami and NCP say Khalilur’s new role contradicts an earlier pledge by members of the interim administration not to join any future partisan government.
The criticism comes weeks after the interim government oversaw the political transition that led to the latest parliamentary election.
At a press conference in Dhaka on Thursday, Jamaat demanded that former security adviser Khalilur Rahman and former adviser Sayeda Rizwana Hasan be questioned over what it called “election engineering”.
Jamaat leader Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher said Rizwana Hasan’s remarks in a recent interview suggested that certain political parties had been prevented from emerging as a “main force” in national politics.
He said the comments implied interference in the electoral process and called for her to be treated as a “state witness” and questioned by investigators.
Taher also alleged that Khalilur Rahman had played a key role in what he described as a “London conspiracy” designed to benefit the current ruling camp.
“He motivated the government, conspired and continuously worked to give advantage to those now in power, and the foreign minister post was his reward,” Taher said.
NCP convenor Nahid Islam has also questioned the appointment, saying Khalilur Rahman’s entry into the BNP-led cabinet raises serious concerns about his role during the tenure of the interim administration.
He alleged that the move suggests Khalilur had been working in favour of a particular political party from the beginning.
“This entire episode is a form of engineering. His cabinet appointment has now exposed it before the nation,” Nahid said.
He also criticised Khalilur for taking oath as foreign minister, arguing that it violated the interim government’s earlier pledge that its members would not join a partisan cabinet.
Attempts to contact Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman for comment were unsuccessful.
Political analysts have also expressed concern over the appointment, describing it as a potential conflict of interest that could undermine public confidence in the neutrality of the former interim administration.
They warned that such a development may cast doubt on the fairness of the election and weaken trust in the democratic process.
Political scientist Dilara Choudhury said the appointment raises serious questions about the impartiality and transparency of the interim government during the electoral period.
“We had hoped for a transparent democratic transition after the tragic loss of our children last July, but when such appointments occur it raises serious doubts about the integrity of that process,” she told TIMES of Bangladesh.
She also said some recent remarks by former advisers in the media appear to reinforce those concerns.
Meanwhile, former interim government adviser Sayeda Rizwana Hasan said her comments in a recent television interview had been taken out of context.
She said the discussion had focused on extremism against women, including attacks on shrines, persecution of Bauls and derogatory remarks directed at women.
According to Rizwana, women’s rights groups protested, issued legal notices and forced those responsible to apologise.
“Women in society, not the government, prevented those forces from becoming mainstream,” she said, adding that her remarks had no connection with elections or any political party.
