Jamaat hails offshoot
In a surprise move, the Jamaat-e-Islami has welcomed the new political platform formed by its breakaway activists although it allegedly barred party activists from joining the platform.
In a statement on Saturday, Jamaat Ameer Maqbul Ahmad also termed the new platform, “Jana Aakangkhar Bangladesh” formed by former leaders of the Jamaat and its student body Islami Chhatra Shibir, “an offshoot of the Islamic movement”.
He even praised the role of expelled Jamaat leader Mojibur Rahman Monju, a key organiser of the new platform floated on Saturday, when he was with the Jamaat.
In February, Jamaat’s policy-making body Majlish-e-Shura member Monju, who had been vocal about bringing the reforms in the party, was expelled from the party for “breaching discipline” and “anti-party activities”.
Since then Jamaat has been asking its activists not to have relations with the people who are talking in favour of party reforms and insisting that Jamaat should apologise to the nation for opposing the 1971 Liberation War.
“We recalled his [Monju] important role as a Jamaat leader and the glorious time when he was beaten up by the Chhatra League activists at Chittagong University. We also remembered his role in Jamaat’s publicity department as a journalist,” Maqbul added.
The new platform’s manifesto shows there is no deviation from Jamaat, he said, adding, “So we don’t see any reason to be disappointed at his [Monju] present activities.”
Claiming that the new initiative will strengthen the Islamic movement, the Jamaat ameer said, “It is not necessary that the work for Islamic movement should be done from a single platform.”
He hoped that the existing good terms between them would continue in future. “We pray for their success.”
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