Dhaka:Prime Minister's Political Assistant Rashed Khan alleged on Wednesday that activists from the Awami League (AL) and Chhatra League (BCL) are attempting to survive by operating covertly within Jamaat-e-Islami.
According to United News of Bangladesh, Rashed Khan made these remarks through a post on his verified Facebook account. He accused Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir, of subtly normalizing alleged terrorist activities of the banned Awami League instead of taking a firm stand against its activists.
Rashed questioned whether Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina or then Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal were aware that Shadik Kayem, while serving as president of Shibir's Dhaka University unit, maintained covert links with the Chhatra League. He further inquired if the AL government had intelligence about Jamaat-Shibir members nationwide who secretly participated in AL and BCL politics.
He accused Jamaat-Shibir of teaching AL the tactics of covert politics and criticized their lack of stronger resistance against AL activities and arson attacks. Rashed suggested that Jamaat-Shibir might have two reasons for not taking a more forceful stand at this time.
Firstly, he proposed that Jamaat-Shibir might believe AL-induced unrest would weaken the BNP government, thus allowing them to gain importance as the opposition. This could lead the government to seek Jamaat's assistance in controlling AL, which Jamaat could use as leverage for influence over government affairs while remaining in opposition.
Secondly, Rashed referred to a recent meeting between a Jamaat delegation and intelligence officials from an unnamed country, which Jamaat denied. He speculated that the meeting might have involved advice for Jamaat to focus on its own political ambitions and let the AL proceed with its activities.
Regardless of which explanation holds true, Rashed emphasized that Jamaat-Shibir would not achieve its objectives and called for collective resistance against what he described as an AL-Jamaat conspiracy to weaken the BNP government for political gain.