This illegal election schedule should be cancelled: Jamaat
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami rejected the schedule for the 12th national election that was announced this evening.
"The entire nation, including the Jamaat-e-Islami, is rejecting the schedule announced by the Election Commission, which ignored the people's long-standing demand to hold elections under a caretaker government," Jamaat Acting Ameer and former MP Professor Mujibur Rahman said in a statement on Wednesday (15 November).
"People will not allow a one-sided election. The Election Commission must withdraw the schedule out of respect for public opinion. It should announce the new election schedule by establishing consensus and dialogue among all the parties," he said.
"We want to warn that the result of announcing the schedule ignoring the views of the opposition parties in the country will not be pleasant for anyone and will not bring welfare to the country. Rather, it will push the country towards destabilisation and destruction. It will block the way of dialogue. Any situation arising out of the one-sided farce election must be borne by the government and the Election Commission," the Jamaat leader further said.
"This illegal schedule should be cancelled. Sheikh Hasina must resign and the Awami League government must leave," said Jamaat's Dhaka Metropolitan North Secretary Dr Rezaul Karim at a procession in Dhaka on Wednesday protesting the announcement of the schedule.
"Our movement will not stop until elections are held under a caretaker government. We do not accept this illegal schedule. We call upon the countrymen to reject this illegal schedule and take to the streets. Our peaceful movement will continue," he added.
Demanding the release of their detained leaders including Jamaat Ameer Shafiqur Rahman, the resignation of the government, and the establishment of a caretaker government, Jamaat has joined the BNP's movement to ensure that the next election is held under a caretaker government.
Although the impasse has been bubbling beneath the surface for years, it came to a head following a rally called by the BNP on 28 October to push home its demand for elections to be held under a caretaker government.
The rally was suspended midway by BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul, who also announced a hartal for the next day.
On the next day, Fakhrul was arrested by police.
This was followed by arrests of other BNP leaders, including Amir Khosru and Moazzem Hussain.
The BNP hartal and the subsequent blockades it announced in the following days were joined by the Jamaat-e-Islami and other parties, who held similar demands.
Even on the day of the election schedule announcement, the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami and some other parties have been observing the fifth phase of their blockade.