Jamaat-e-Islami has submitted a nine-point charter of demands to Election Commission (EC), including the immediate removal of recently appointed Additional Secretary Shamsul Alam, ahead of the upcoming local government elections.
The demands were placed on Tuesday during a meeting between a Jamaat delegation and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin, along with other election commissioners, at the Election Building in Agargaon, Dhaka.
Speaking after the meeting, Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar said Shamsul Alam was affiliated with a political party and that Jamaat had raised concerns over his political background with EC.
Parwar alleged that appointing a politically affiliated person to a senior position in a constitutional institution was unconstitutional and a violation of the law. He said EC commissioners had admitted that they were previously unaware of Alam’s political background but later found evidence of his involvement.
Although EC said it was not the appointing authority, it assured Jamaat that the matter would be communicated to the government.
Parwar warned that elections would not be neutral if Alam remained in office and said Jamaat would continue its protests.
Jamaat also demanded that ministers, MPs and senior government officials be barred from participating in publicity campaigns during local elections. EC, according to Jamaat, said it was considering incorporating the restriction into the electoral code of conduct.
The party also objected to the EC’s recommendation to bar MPO-listed teachers from contesting local government elections. Parwar said more than 30,000 MPO-listed teachers had historically taken part in elections, including the 13th parliamentary election.
He said the restriction would violate constitutional guarantees of equality and non-discrimination and could face legal challenges.
Jamaat further demanded that leaders of banned political parties, including Awami League, be barred from contesting local elections.
The party also protested the appointment of BNP leaders as administrators of local government bodies, alleging that district and upazila BNP leaders had been appointed to zila parishads, city corporations and development authorities.
Asked whether Jamaat would boycott the elections if its demands were not met, Parwar said the party had previously submitted similar demands but received no response. He said some demands were now being considered, while others remained unresolved.
He added that the party had not yet decided on a boycott but claimed that the EC appeared to be under pressure from the ruling party.
The Jamaat delegation included MP Md Izzat Ullah, Nazibur Rahman Momen, Mobarak Hossain, Abdur Rab and Yasir Arafat, among others.
EC was represented by Election Commissioners Abdur Rahmanel Masud and Anwarul Islam Sarkar, and Senior Secretary Akhter Ahmed, among others.
