Jamaat skips consensus talks in ‘protest’

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami yesterday skipped the National Consensus Commission's discussion with political parties.

The party may issue a statement in this regard today, insiders say.

At the Doel Hall of the Foreign Service Academy where the meeting was held, the seats designated for Jamaat leaders remained empty, meeting sources said.

The second round of the commission's dialogue with political parties began around 11:45am.

The Jamaat informed the commission beforehand that it would not be attending the meeting, a member of the National Consensus Commission told this newspaper.

The party told the commission that it felt ignored after Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus and BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman met in London on June 13 and issued a joint statement saying that the election could be held in February next year, a commission member told The Daily Star, wishing anonymity.

The Jamaat boycotted the talks yesterday as a mark of protest, the party informed the commission, added the member.

According to sources, the commission reached out to Jamaat and urged it to reconsider.

On June 14, a day after the meeting between Prof Yunus and Tarique, the Jamaat said holding a meeting and a joint press conference with one single political party in a foreign land were not "ethical" and were a "deviation from the country's political culture".

The chief adviser has shown he is leaning towards a particular party, and undermined his impartiality, the Jamaat said.

Meanwhile, Jamaat Central Working Committee Member Shafiqul Islam Masud yesterday said the nation's main expectations from the interim government were reforms, trial for the July mass killing, and a fair election.

"Instead, the government seems to have shown loyalty to a particular party, ignoring the aspirations of the people. This does not align with the spirit of the student-led July uprising," he said.

"The nation expects a more responsible role from the chief adviser in building national unity."

After the consensus commission meeting yesterday, BNP Standing Committee Member Salahuddin Ahmed told reporters that the commission itself was in the best position to explain why the Jamaat skipped the meeting.

Nurul Haque Nur, President of the Gono Odhikar Parishad, said, "As far as we understand, the Jamaat has symbolically boycotted today's meeting. There may be a number of issues on the commission's agenda that the Jamaat opposes."

Expressing dissatisfaction, Gazi Ataur Rahman, Joint Secretary General of Islami Andolon Bangladesh, said, "As a significant political force, the Jamaat should have been present at today's session. They haven't provided a clear explanation as to why they were absent."

Several political groups believe that Jamaat's absence stems from policy disagreements with the commission, particularly regarding the proposed reservation of seats for women.

In the first phase of meeting with the consensus commission, the Jamaat delegation was led by the party's Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher.

Yesterday's discussions covered a range of issues, including Article 70 of the Constitution, nomination of chairman to the parliamentary standing committees, and reserved seats for women in parliament.

The proposal for a bicameral legislature and the process of appointing the chief justice were also discussed.

The commission's meetings with political parties will end tomorrow.