Staff Reporter:
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami’s decision to skip the first day of talks with the National Consensus Com-mission (NCC) was a ‘symbolic protest’ against the interim government, said party Nayeb-e-Ameer Dr Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher on Wednesday.
Speaking to reporters after joining the second day’s discussion at the Foreign Service Academy, Taher clarified that the boycott was a reaction to certain actions taken by Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus during his recent London trip.
“We raised objections to and issued a statement regarding his London visit. Our highest executive coun-cil approved this position,” he said.
He went on to say, “The chief adviser went to London to receive an award and retrieve laundered mon-ey, which we welcomed. He also met BNP’s Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, which we also appreci-ated. However, he later issued a joint statement with only one party, which surprised and embarrassed us.”
Taher emphasized that issuing a joint statement with a representative of a single party without consulting others was unprecedented and inappropriate for someone in Yunus’s position.
“There’s no precedent for a chief adviser issuing a joint statement with the representative of just one po-litical party. It caused discomfort to all other parties, including ours,” he said.
Jamaat’s discomfort also stemmed from Yunus’ pre-announcement of an election date during a televised speech, which, Taher argued, left no room for adjustments based on future dialogue.
“If the chief adviser had returned to the country and reconsidered the matter through consultations, that would have been acceptable. But he did not,” he added.
Taher accused Yunus of compromising his neutrality by aligning too closely with one party, warning that such moves could hinder progress in the NCC’s reform agenda.
Taher was accompanied by Assistant Secretaries General Rafiqul Islam Khan and Hamidur Rahman Azad during the briefing.
