Elections won’t be fair if held under prevailing circumstances

What does Jamaat want?

Shafiqur Rahman: We have not given any specific date. We have spoken on this matter in front of the media at various times. We said that the chief advisor has given indications that the election may be held in December this year or in the first half of next year. We said that we do not think this is unreasonable and it can be so. But this time should not be used simply to bid for time. It is about reasonable reforms. If the reforms can be finished even before this time, the election can be held at any time then. We will have no objection

What apprehension prompted you to say that?

Shafiqur Rahman: We are apprehensive because reforms need to be carried out, like the voters list has not been prepared, not been updated. There is the matter of those who could not get their names on the last voter list or who had not reached the matured age when the list was drawn up. Then there are the expatriates. They are partners in the country’s development, this land is theirs too.

Their vote has not be ensured as yet. Only a few expatriates can vote, the others can’t. We have said the votes of the expatriates must be ensued. After all, everyone took part in this movement to topple the autocrat, from inside the country and outside. Those outside took a huge risk too.

You all are not mentioning any specific date for the election, but are naming specific persons as Jamaat candidates in several districts.

Shafiqur Rahman: Actually there are two issues involved here. One is that there is a false rumour that we do not want the election. We do want the election and we are even prepared. We need to give this message to the people. The second is that the full policy concerning the election hasn’t been finalised yet. As the election draws closer, then the polarisation will emerge. We have taken all these things into consideration and drawn up our preliminary list and this is not an official list.

The closer the election is coming, the wider the distance is growing between BNP and Jamaat. You were in an alliance for long, even in the government together. Why this distance now?

Shafiqur Rahman: There is no difference. Every party has its own programmes and policies. The different parties will take their programmes and policies to the people and the people will decide. They will assess not just the words, but the performance of every party too.

In one programme you said, “Come, let us throw away the rotten past. Let us not dabble in this any longer.” What did you mean by rotten past?

Shafiqur Rahman: Many things, dating back to 1947. Had 1947 not taken place, 1971 would not have happened. Had 1971 not happened, 2024 would not have taken place. This is all related. And in between there is the significant factor 1952. There was one development after the other leading to today’s Bangladesh. In 1947 those who took the country as Pakistan, did not keep their word and so disparity emerged. As people’s voting rights were not recognised, so many things happened. And, AlHamduLillah, that led to the emergence of Bangladesh. Were there no misdeeds after independence? The very first government after independence banned all parties and formed BKSAL. They formed the Rakkhi Bahini and tried trivialise our army. They formed Rakkhi Bahini and killed 34,000 people with no trial, 10,000 of whom were freedom fighters. Were these not dark chapters?

We do not talk about these but many raise the 1971 issue in front of us. I do not understand how Jamaat was good before, good after, but bad only for those few days during the liberation war! There were no such complaints against the Jamaat leaders in independent Bangladesh. Even when Sheikh Mujib saheb was in power, 24 cases were filed on various criminal charges. Jamaat-e-Islami’s name was not mentioned even once. He declared a general amnesty except for four crimes. These were specific and these were accused persons against whom charges had been brought. Here too there was no mention of any Jamaat man. He (Sheikh Mujib) drew up a list of war criminals in which the names of 195 members of the Pakistan armed forces were finalised.

Then all of a sudden there was the people’s court, suddenly during the 2008 election Sheikh Hasina said, we will try the war criminals. Fine, Sheikh Mujib had drawn up the list of war criminals. Talk to Pakistan with whom you had a tripartite agreement. What happened about that? We want to see that trial. Instead of doing that, you targeted your political rival in your own country. You staged such a trial, replete with the Skype scandal, the safe houses, the various roles of the justice. The entire world objected to the trials. A witness was even abducted from the court premises and taken to India. All said and done, can that be called a trial?

You mentioned “rotten past”. Did you mean 1971?

Shafiqur Rahman: All of this was rotten past. If I committed crimes in 1971, that would be rotten past too. The crimes after 1971 were part of the rotten past too. My bone of contention is not once did you journalists raise the question of how 34 thousand people were killed with no trial in the independent country. You don’t say that Awami League must tend in an apology for such a huge crime. I am not meaning Prothom Alo alone, but the news media as a whole.

At an event in London you have sad that Jamaat will apologise to the nation if it can be proven beyond doubt that Jamaat did anything wrong in 1971. Do you still think Jamaat’s stand in 1971 was correct?

Shafiqur Rahman: What was Jamaat’s stand in 1971? In his book ‘Arakkhita Swadhinatai Paradhinata’, commander of Sector 9 in the liberation war Major MA Jalil wrote, “Now as a freedom fighter I have to wonder why I risked my life to go to war. Did I go to war for an independence like this? The ones who we called Razakar, Al Badr, Al Shams, were they correct back then?” He was a freedom fighter, not even a supporter of Jamaat-e-Islami.

So that means your stand…

Shafiqur Rahman: No, our stand was a matter of principle. We did not want the country to be independent for the advantage of India. We wanted the Pakistanis to be forced into giving voting rights. If that was not possible, many countries have gained freedom through guerrilla warfare. If we became independent at anyone’s behest or as a favour from anyone, if would simply be removing one burden and replacing it with another. What has been proven 53 years since Bangladesh’s independence? Why do the people of Bangladesh have to hear, that certain country doesn’t want that certain party? No party can come to power if that certain country doesn’t want. Is that the criteria of an independent country? The youth of today do not want to hear all that.

There is no denying that the Pakistani forces carried out a killing spree and brutalities in this country in 1971.

Shafiqur Rahman: Yes, all that is true. This happened before 16 December 1971 and after 16 December too.

But has Jamaat ever condemned this? It has been so many years since independence, has Jamaat ever officially asked for pardon?

Shafiqur Rahman: Ghulam Azam had been the spokesperson of those back then. He was taken to jail in a citizenship case. Then when he was freed after his citizenship was restored by the court, he addressed the nation from Baitul Mukarram. He said, if the nation has been hurt by any action of mine, if it has faced even the slightest loss, I ask for forgiveness. Will I be the one to say anything more emphatic than that? I was just a child then, not even of the age to join a party. He had been the ameer. You may say that he spoke for himself, he didn’t take the liability of the party. But when I speak, do I separate myself from the party? The head of any party is called the institution. That means he is not an individual, he is an institution, the party.

You mean to say Ghulam Azam asked for pardon?

Shafiqur Rahman: Yes, not ‘pardon’, but expressed regret. Now many say, you all should express a similar regret or apology. As I said in London, I strongly maintain, if I committed an offence beyond doubt, I will certainly ask for pardon. I have no weakness in that regard. But it can’t just be forced upon me, that I have to agree to that, that these are the charges against you and you are guilty. I will not accept that.

The leaders of Students against Discrimination movement are actively demanding that Awami League be banned. What is Jamaat’s stand?

Shafiqur Rahman: From way back we have been saying that Awami League has proven that they are no political party. They are a fascist party. Fascism has nothing to do with democracy. Those who believe in democracy can rule their own country, but give others proper space. Awami League never gave any other party space. Look what happened in 1973. No one was given any space right up until 1975. Again, when they came back to power in 1996, the head of government spoke about taking the lives of ten in the place of one.

After your visit to the Pir’s house, there is talk of a possible election alliance between Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Andolan.

Shafiqur Rahman: We will do whatever is required in the interests of the country and the faith, InShaaAllah.

BNP is in contact with other Islamic parties too.

Shafiqur Rahman: Can we tell the Islamic parties that no one else should come near you?

Those who were in the Students against Discrimination movement are forming a new party. How do you view that?

Shafiqur Rahman: It is not just the students who are forming the party. Those who have completed being students will be the one forming the party. But even if students do so, if they are old enough, they can do so. I am not sure about this. We can understand this when they come forward. Different newspapers report differently. They naturally can form a party. There are possibly 49 registered parties at the moment. Many remain unregistered. We are in a legal battle to get our registration back. It is not about whether the party is registered or not. A political party is a political party. If they can form a party that bodes well for the country, I have no problem. It is for the people to judge. Through their performance they will prove what they want to do, what they have managed to do.

It has been over six months that the interim government is in power. What achievements do you see of this government and what are their failures?

Shafiqur Rahman: We have not analysed their achievements and failures in that way. However, we see that if we political stakeholders could provide more meaningful cooperation to the government, they could have been much more effective. We are hindering them in many ways. I am not referring to Jamaat-e-Islami in particular, but I am addressing the entire political arena. If we could have offered them cooperation rather than hindrance, they would have been able to do much better.

But despite all, the manner in which they have advanced is not disheartening at all. I am concerned about the economy. The last government has destroyed the banking sector and the non-banking financial sector. That burden has fallen upon the shoulders of this government. If the people and all quarters extend their cooperation, it will be possible to emerge out of this, even if it takes some time.

Thank you.

Thank you too.