BJP Leader Farooq Questions Jamaat’s Role During Liberation War

Staff Reporter

Zainul Abdin Farooq, an advisor to the chairperson of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), has raised questions about Jamaat-e-Islami’s stance during the Liberation War of 1971. Speaking at a citizens’ assembly in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka on Friday, Farooq criticized Jamaat for its lack of visible participation in Independence Day marches over the past 54 years.

Farooq said, “In these 54 years, I have never seen Jamaat organize a procession on Independence Day. Now, with discussions of an interim government and elections in October or November, you’re suddenly active. During the Liberation War, where were you? Where were you for 16 years?”

The event, titled “The Demand for Transfer of Power to Representatives and Control of Commodity Prices Before Ramadan,” was organized by Muktijuddher Projonmo (The Generation of Liberation War).

Farooq alleged that during the Liberation War, Jamaat’s publications labeled freedom fighters as non-Muslims and accused them of initiating conspiracies again. “Where were you when my leader, Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman, fought for the people’s rights, stood knee-deep in water during protests, and slept in jungles or cemeteries? Now, after 16 years of enduring under Sheikh Hasina, we will not bow to any conspiracies regarding national elections,” he stated.

He further claimed that elections were being manipulated, saying, “It seems like something is amiss, as if there’s a scent of conspiracy. Jamaat had previously allied with Awami League to participate in elections, which led to the execution of their top leaders. Sheikh Hasina benefited from that alignment.”

Farooq also referenced the assassination of President Ziaur Rahman at the Chittagong Circuit House, alleging a conspiracy involving Sheikh Hasina. “Jamaat and Awami League share the same motives in such schemes,” he added.

The assembly also featured speeches by BNP National Executive Committee member Abu Naser Mohammad Rahmatullah, Muktijuddher Projonmo president Syed Mozammel Hossain Shaheen, and general secretary Md. Nabi Hossain.