This refers to the Arab News report, “Violent clashes spread in Bangladesh," (Dec. 5) that has reported about Jamaat clashing with security forces in cities across the country that has left one dead.
Jamaat-e-Islami, a political ally of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), has vowed to free its leaders and support BNP’s campaign to oust the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from power.
Previously too, the party had held strikes and demonstrations several times to protest the arrest and trial of the Jamaat leaders, who face charges of war crimes during the 1971 liberation struggle. The current strike is to protest against what the party claimed the government's denial of permission to hold a meeting a day earlier. While the party claims to have taken prior permission for the rally, the home minister refuted any such claim. People are worried as the events are precipitating a social and political crisis.
We however strongly condemn violent means the Jamaat has adopted resorting to arson and smashing of vehicles. Such tactics of intimidation unmask the party's current approach to protest. Strikes in any case usually take a violent turn. Jamaat activists went for a hit-and-run policy and carried out surprise attacks on moving vehicles, and law-enforcers. They indulged in vandalism at several places in capital city of Dhaka. Similar attacks on police and public vehicles were reported from Narayanganj, Savar, Chittagong, Rajshahi and other parts of the country. Several persons were injured, while one died in Dinajpur.
It is increasingly becoming clear that the strikers are on a belligerent course. But as an open and legally recognized party, it cannot simply engage in such violent activities. Two positions cannot go together. In this paper, we have consistently adopted stances opposed to Jamaat, because it causes tremendous public suffering, and which leads to huge loss to the economy apart from other deleterious impact. But, while Jamaat must desist from such a violent path, we urge the government to provide the democratic space to Jamaat. — Naser Mullah, Riyadh
We condemn Jamaat violence
