Zakir Hossain from Dhaka
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) senior leader Salahuddin Ahmed on Saturday accused Jamaat-e-Islami of siding with “vested quarters” attempting to destabilise Bangladesh and obstruct the upcoming national election.
Speaking at a discussion in Dhaka, Salahuddin said, “We suspect this political party (Jamaat) is working in support of forces trying to make the political situation volatile and delay or derail the next parliamentary election.”
He warned that any derailment could pave the way for “fascism” and undemocratic rule. Salahuddin rejected the Jamaat-backed demand for a Proportional Representation (PR) system, calling it “a recipe for instability.”
He cited Article 65(2) of the Constitution mandating single-constituency direct elections, saying, “Under PR, voters won’t even know who they are voting for. Do we want that? Of course not.”
The BNP leader also accused Jamaat of promoting Awami League activities and urged parties “not to mislead the nation.”
Salahuddin later told reporters that BNP is finalising “single candidates for each constituency” ahead of the polls. “We have multiple eligible candidates everywhere. The official green signal will come after the election schedule,” he said. He added that BNP is in talks with other parties on forming an election alliance and said those guilty of “genocide” under the Awami League regime should face trial in ICT courts.