Jamaat Claims 512 Enforced Disappearances Under BNP in Six Months; BNP Calls It a ‘Lie Told in the Name of Allah’

❐ BD Digest Desk

Coordinator of the 11-party alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami and Jamaat’s central assistant secretary general AHM Hamidur Rahman Azad claimed in a press briefing on Monday (August 23), ‘512 people have been victims of disappearances in the 6 months of the BNP government.’ During his briefing, top leaders of the 11-party alliance, including opposition chief whip and convener of the National Citizens Party (NCP), Nahid Islam, were present.

The information claimed by the Jamaat leader has already drawn criticism from various quarters, including social media platforms Facebook and the political arena. However, the Jamaat leader has already posted a Facebook status acknowledging his mistake, calling the statement a ‘slip of the tongue’.

Meanwhile, BNP leaders have termed the Jamaat leader’s statement as false, fabricated and baseless. They say such lies are possible only by Jamaat leaders.

However, according to the human rights organization Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK), there has been only one reported case of disappearance in the six months of the BNP government.

‘Jamaat leaders lie by saying Bismillah’

In response to Jamaat leader Hamidur Rahman Azad’s statement, Prime Minister’s political assistant Rashed Khan said, “Jamaat is a rumor-mongering organization. The job of the leaders and activists of that party is to spread rumors. They have gone beyond the level of lying. Hamidur Rahman is the worst example of that. The fact that he lied publicly about a sensitive issue like disappearance is a punishable crime.”

He said, citing Hamidur Rahman’s statement, the Awami League is now spreading lies and propaganda against the BNP government. That is why I say that the Awami League is not needed for Jamaat to exist. Jamaat is doing politics of lies. Their leaders take off their hats and lie, that too can be tolerated! But how can they start lying by saying Bismillah?

He further said, the new settlement party has learned exactly this kind of lies by joining the NCP-Jamaat-led alliance. They held a conference on the government’s 180-day failure! The statements of NCP leaders are also full of misinformation like Hamidur Rahman Azad. That is why people have started saying that Jamaat-NCP has already become a champion in spreading rumors, lies and propaganda with confidence.

Demand to be brought under the law for spreading rumors

Abu Hanif, spokesperson for the People’s Rights Council, has demanded that Jamaat leader Hamidur Rahman Azad be brought to justice for spreading rumors and destabilizing the country.

He said, “From which organization’s survey did Jamaat leader Hamidur Rahman get this information and where is the exact account of which law enforcement agencies have disappeared 512 people? Where are the complaints of the families of the 512 disappeared people?”

Abu Hanif said, his statement is completely baseless. If he has any information, I demand that he present that information to the public. If there is no information, then he should publicly apologize for spreading false and baseless information. At the same time, he should be brought to justice for spreading rumors and destabilizing the country.

He also said, one thing should be remembered, propaganda will start by capitalizing on the statements of the opposition leader. Whose purpose did that Jamaat leader make statements based on this false information to serve? Is spreading propaganda the politics of the opposition? Although the most discussed disappearance case during the current government’s tenure was the drama of the disappearance of the Shibir leader to escape a rape case.

Claims that the statement made about ‘disappearance’ was unintentionally wrong in the face of criticism

Claiming that the statement made in the press briefing on the disappearances was an unintentional mistake, Hamidur Rahman Azad wrote in a Facebook status posted this afternoon, “At the press conference after the 11-party unity meeting, while talking about statistics related to attacks, cases, atrocities, torture, and disappearances and murders during the last 6 months of the government’s tenure, one piece of information was unintentionally presented incorrectly. Later, after verifying the matter, the discrepancy came to my attention. Which was completely unintentional. I humbly request all concerned not to take the said information into account and not to be confused about this matter.”

He further said that while presenting the statistics of attacks, cases of oppression, torture and disappearances and murders of the last 6 months by the government, the word ‘abduction’ was pronounced due to a ‘slip of tongue’. In fact, I wanted to mention the information of 512 kidnapping incidents, the source of which was Daily Prothom Alo, 19 August 2026. The 512 kidnapping incidents are correct, which has also been published in the report of the Police Headquarters.

Bangla Tribune