London, Oct 10 (IANS) Bangladesh’s radical Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami has leveraged the patronage it received under the former Muhammad Yunus-led interim government to strengthen its presence in major centres of learning, including Dhaka University and Chittagong University, through its student wing, Islamic Chhatra Shibir, a report has stated.
It noted that the party is now using its student wing to promote pro-Pakistan sentiments among the student community in Dhaka.
“The Dhaka University Central Students Union, now affiliated to Islamic Chhatra Shibir, had lately displayed in the university museum photographs and speeches of the founder of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Of particular concern was one of his speeches delivered at the Race Course Maidan in Dhaka in 1948 when Jinnah declared that ‘Urdu and Urdu alone’ would be the state language of Pakistan, ignoring the sentiments of the Bengalis of East Pakistan. He repeated his position in an address at Dhaka University three days later,” a report in the British newspaper ‘Asian Lite’ detailed.
“Notably, the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, the student wing of the ruling BNP, condemned the display, calling it a ‘disgraceful act’ that tarnished the image of the university. The Dhaka University authorities have since formed a committee to investigate how these photographs were put on display,” it added.
According to the report, Jamaat-e-Islami, a major Islamic fundamentalist force in Bangladesh, was instrumental in the “so-called” July Uprising of 2024 that ousted the Awami League government led by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The party subsequently strengthened its organisational network during the interim government headed by Yunus.
The report noted that a major flashpoint between the ruling BNP and the opposition 11-party alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami is the proposed constitutional reforms formulated under the former interim government.
Citing observers, it said the proposed reforms are aimed at weakening the secular character of Bangladesh’s Constitution and curbing the Prime Minister’s authority and expanding that of the President, potentially leaving the government mired in instability.
“The BNP members of parliament of Bangladesh had refused to join a constitutional reforms council on the ground that the constitution of Bangladesh had no provision for the formation of such a council. The BNP wanted to form a parliamentary committee to examine the issue of constitutional reforms. Members of Parliament of the Jamaat and its allies have, however, refused to join such a parliamentary committee,” the report mentioned.
–IANS
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