Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Advocate Asaduzzaman has said that the historical position of Jamaat-e-Islami as an anti-independence force has been established through the passage of legislation in parliament.
Speaking as the chief guest at a May Day programme organised by the municipal unit of Sramik Dal in Shailkupa, Jhenaidah on Friday morning, he said Jamaat no longer has the moral ground to claim that its predecessors did not oppose the Liberation War.
He said parliament recently passed the “National Freedom Fighters Council (Amendment) Act-2026,” adding that Jamaat did not oppose the bill during its passage.
“They remained silent and effectively gave tacit approval,” he said, also claiming that the National Citizen Party (NCP) supported the legislation in writing.
The minister further said the amended law clearly defines freedom fighters as those who fought in 1971 against Pakistani forces and their local collaborators, including Rajakar, Al-Badr, Al-Shams, Muslim League, Jamaat-e-Islami and Nizam-e-Islam Party members.
He said the provision in the law confirms Jamaat-e-Islami’s historical stance against Bangladesh’s independence.
Responding to journalists after the programme, the minister also commented on the “July Charter,” describing it as “partially emotional and partially deceptive.”
He said BNP would take necessary steps regarding its implementation but would not support what he termed misleading provisions related to the proposed referendum.
Local BNP leaders and activists from the district and upazila levels attended the programme.
