Dhaka, Dec 24 (IANS) Press Secretary of Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday reiterated the interim government’s stance that the Awami League party will not be allowed to contest the upcoming election scheduled to be held in Bangladesh in February, next year.
“Regarding Awami League, our position is clear,” Shafiqul Alam told reporters at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka. He added that the activities of Awami League and its registration as a political party remain suspended, the United News of Bangladesh (UNB) reported.
Alam made the remarks when he was asked about the letter written to Yunus by five US lawmakers on December 23 on the importance of having “inclusive, free and fair elections”. Alam insisted that he has not seen the letter and does not know anything about it.
Representatives Gregory W Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Bill Huizenga and Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Chair and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on South and Central Asia, wrote a letter to Yunus, voicing their concerns over the ‘total ban of a political party’ before elections in February. Representatives Julie Johnson and Tom Suozzi are co-signers of the letter.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s former Member of Parliament (MP) A F M Bahauddin Nasim said on Wednesday that the Yunus-led interim government is turning the South Asian country into a terrorist state and making attempts to hand over the country’s reigns to Pakistan.
Speaking exclusively to IANS, Nasim, also the Awami League Joint General Secretary, said that the Yunus government has taken Bangladesh to the verge of destruction with riots, killings and overall collapse of the rule of law.
“Riots, destruction and burning of properties, killings are going on. Members of Awami League are being killed, religious minorities are being targetted and their houses are set on fire. Common man or political workers who had voted tor the Awami League are being targetted. This has been going on for last 16 months. The aim of this lawlessness is to take Bangladesh to the edge of destruction,” said the former Bangladeshi MP.
The statements from the Awami League leader came in the backdrop of widespread violence that has engulfed Bangladesh over the past many months, resulting in destruction of properties, riots and attack on religious minorities such as the Hindus.
“In Bangladesh, fundamentalist groups or terrorist groups are rearing its heads. They are connected with Jamaat-e-Islami, Islami Chhatra Shibir and even Bangladesh Nationalist Party. They have been joined by the fascist Yunus government, taking the country to verge of destruction. It seems that the primary aim of the Yunus government is to turn Bangladesh into a terrorist state and hand over the country’s reigns to Pakistan. Today there is no rule of law in Bangladesh. There is no administration, no democratic and fundamental rights of the people. There is no freedom of speech and no human rights. There is no freedom of press as well,” Nasim said.
Nasim fled to India after the Awami League government headed by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted in August 2024. Speaking to the IANS, the Awami League Joint General Secretary said that the turmoil in Bangladesh has not stopped for over 14 months now. He said that there is considerable amount of Pakistani and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) influence in Bangladesh these days.
“Muhammad Yunus is pro-Pakistan and his association with the ISI is quite visible. We see ships from Karachi coming to Bangladesh with grains. Never saw that it in the last 54 years. We used to export rice from India at a fair price. Now we are forced to export rice from Pakistan. Does Pakistan grow rice? Whom are they trying to benefit financially? Bangladesh is not meant to make Pakistan grow financially. Bangladesh is an independent country. We fought against the Pakistanis. We cannot hand Bangladesh to them on a plate,” Nasim added.
–IANS
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