Questions arise over China visit of Zonaed and Rafe

Questions have emerged within the Jatiya Nagorik Committee (JNC) over the visit of its two leaders – Ali Ahsan Zonaed and Rafe Salman Rifat – to China. 

They went to China on Monday, as part of a 22-member delegation comprising leaders from eight political parties, including the BNP, at the invitation of the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC).

In an emergency press release at midnight on Monday, the JNC clarified that it has no information about the visit and has not received any formal invitation from the Chinese ruling party. It further noted that nobody is representing the JNC in the delegation. 

Ali Ahsan Zonaed, joint convener of the JNC, and Rafe Salman Rifat, its joint member secretary, are former presidents of the Dhaka University unit of Islami Chhatra Shibir.

Zonaed is being widely discussed to be the senior joint convener in the upcoming political party, which is scheduled to make its debut through a programme at Manik Mia Avenue in Dhaka on Friday.  

The JNC consists of individuals from diverse ideological backgrounds. A faction of former Chhatra Shibir leaders within the committee recently sought key positions in the new party. Meanwhile, Akhtar Hossain, the JNC’s member secretary, was also being discussed for the second highest position in the new party. 

In recent weeks, both factions made posts on Facebook highlighting their contributions to the uprising. Later, a negotiation was reached to create two additional senior leadership positions – senior joint convener and senior joint member secretary – alongside the top four posts: convener, member secretary, spokesperson, and chief organiser.

As per the negotiation, Zonaed is being considered for the position of senior joint convener in the new party, while Rafe for another key post. 

However, some JNC members took a position against keeping the duo in any key positions. They argued that Awami League is consistently trying to portray the July mass uprising as a Jamaat-Shibir movement. For strategic reasons, former Shibir leaders should not be given top positions in the new party. At the same time, some other policymakers supported their inclusion to ensure an inclusive approach of the party. 

Now, the China visit of Zonaed and Rifat has given rise to questions within the nagorik committee and it came to public through the emergency press release. Multiple JNC leaders told Prothom Alo that using the organisation’s name for the visit without its official consent has raised some serious questions. 

Against the backdrop, the decision to appoint Zonaed to a top leadership position in the new party might be reconsidered, they said.