Jamaat demands grilling of Rizwana, Khalilur

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami on Friday demanded interrogation of two former advisers, alleging their involvement in “election engineering” during the 13th national parliamentary election.

The demand was raised at a protest rally and procession organised by Jamaat’s Dhaka city unit in the capital.

Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar called for questioning former adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan and former National Security Adviser (NSA) Dr Khalilur Rahman over allegations of manipulating the election results.

Parwar alleged that the 13th parliamentary election was manipulated at different stages, from vote counting to the announcement of results.

He claimed that some people thought the public would not understand the “engineering” of the election, but later statements by some officials suggested otherwise.

Referring to remarks by Rizwana Hasan, he said she admitted in the media that Jamaat-e-Islami was not allowed to become part of the political mainstream. Parwar also criticised the appointment of Khalilur Rahman as foreign minister by the BNP-led government, saying the move raised questions about neutrality.

He said that in the past, advisers of caretaker or interim governments did not join the government after elections.

He alleged that the election was influenced by the interim government and a “deep state,” and demanded a judicial inquiry and interrogation of them.

After the rally, Jamaat leaders and activists brought out a procession from the north gate of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque.

The march passed through Paltan Mor and ended at Bijoynagar Mor.

Source: UNB