Jamaat-e-Islami Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher on Wednesday warned that the upcoming national election could be manipulated, alleging that the administration appears to be siding with a major political party.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting with a European Union delegation, Taher said, “The way the administration has leaned toward one large party has created fears of a rigged election. If the election is not held in a free and impartial manner, Bangladesh will face a serious crisis. There is no alternative to a credible election to safeguard the country.”
The remarks followed a courtesy call by a three-member delegation of the European External Action Service (EEAS), led by Paola Pampaloni, director for Asia and the Pacific, on Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman at his office in Bashundhara area of the capital.
The Jamaat Nayeb-e-Ameer said the EU delegation expressed its desire to deploy the highest possible number of observers for the upcoming polls and conveyed optimism that the election would be conducted in a free, fair and neutral environment.
“After immense sacrifices and bloodshed, Bangladesh is once again approaching an election,” he said. “If this election becomes controversial, the country’s image in the international community will suffer further damage.”
Other members of the EU delegation included EU Ambassador to Bangladesh Michael Miller and Monika Bylaite, deputy managing director for South Asia at the EEAS.
Jamaat-e-Islami leaders present at the meeting included Assistant Secretary General and head of the party’s Central Publicity and Media Department Advocate Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair, senior Supreme Court lawyer Mohammad Shishir Monir, and the Jamaat Ameer’s foreign affairs adviser Mahmudul Hasan.
