Jamaat demands interrogation of former adviser Rizwana Hasan

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar has demanded the interrogation of former interim government adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan, alleging that “election engineering” occurred at every stage of the 13th national parliamentary election.

He made the remarks while addressing a protest rally held after Friday prayers at the north gate of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque in Dhaka.

The rally was organized by the Dhaka Metropolitan unit of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, demanding the questioning of Syeda Rizwana Hasan and Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman over allegations of manipulating the election process.

Parwar claimed that irregularities took place throughout the election process, including vote counting, preparation of result sheets and the final announcement of results. He said the matter should be investigated through a judicial inquiry.

Following the rally, a protest procession began from the north gate of Baitul Mukarram Mosque and marched through Paltan intersection, Bijoynagar and Nightingale intersection, before ending at Kakrail intersection.

Responding to remarks previously made by Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Parwar questioned whom she referred to when she said certain groups in the opposition were not allowed to join the “mainstream.” He argued that all parties participating in the parliamentary elections were registered political parties and that no extremist group existed in parliament.

Parwar also criticized a comment attributed to Rizwana Hasan in an interview with India’s Anandabazar Patrika, in which she reportedly said that if she became a victim of mob violence, Jamaat-Shibir should be held responsible. Parwar described the remark as provocative and said Jamaat does not believe in mob politics.

The Jamaat leader further accused Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman of playing a role in what he described as a “London conspiracy” related to political developments in Bangladesh. He claimed Rahman later received a position in the government as a result of his role in bringing the current administration to power.

Parwar urged both the government and the judiciary to launch a judicial investigation into the allegations of election engineering and clarify the matter before the public.

“We want to know what was meant by the statement that certain groups in the opposition were not allowed into the mainstream,” he said, calling on members of civil society to provide clarification if Jamaat’s interpretation was incorrect.