Staff Correspondent

The Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami, Shafiqur Rahman, on Tuesday said that the interim government should be given appropriate time to create a level-playing field before it holds the next general election.

“They (interim government) should get reasonable time to repair state institutions like the judiciary and the Election Commission before the election,” said the Jamaat chief, adding, “It should neither be too long nor too short.”

Shafiqur Rahman was speaking to group of journalists working for the Indian media at an office in Dhaka’s Moghbazar.

Replying to a question, he said the immediate-past government of Awami League destroyed all institutions like the judiciary, the Election Commission, police force and the administration. These need to be fixed first before holding the next national polls, he said.

“Let’s all of us have patience about it (election),” he said.

In response to another question, the Jamaat leader said former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina should not have left the country in the face of the student-led mass upsurge. This is unbecoming of a politician, he said.

“It would have been better had she not left the country. It would have been better had Ganobhaban not been overrun by the crowds,” he said.

Hasina fled the country on August 5 after resigning as the country’s prime minister, and took refuge in India. Shortly after she departed on a military helicopter, thousands of people stormed into her official residence, Ganobhaban, and the prime minister’s office, and many were seen looting whatever they found there.

The Jamaat chief denounced Monday’s (August 26, 2024) demonstration inside the Indian Visa Application Center (IVAC) at Dhaka’s Jamuna Future Park, saying it was “contradictory.”

“I don’t think any person with a sound mind can do it. Those who did it cannot be condoned,” he stated emphatically.

When his attention was drawn to the demonstrators’ slogans like “Indian agents, beware,” and “We want visas,” Shafiqur said their demands have been contradictory. “How come they are calling some Indian agents, and at the same time asking for Indian visas?”

“We don’t like to tag anyone as an agent of a country. We all are citizens of Bangladesh,” he said.

“This has not been the only factor,” he said when asked to comment on the allegation that India’s release of water through Dumboor dam in bordering Tripura state caused the ongoing devastating flood in eastern Bangladesh, especially Feni and Cumilla.

He blamed the worst floods in decades on three factors: excessive rainfall, sudden release of dam water, and lack of forewarning by India. It is understood that the release of water was necessary, but India could have warned the lower riparian Bangladesh early. Neighbours must help each other, he said.

Shafiqur Rahman reiterated his party’s resolve to maintain communal harmony in Bangladesh. He described how his party leaders and activists guarded Hindu temples, including the Dhakeshwari Mandir in Dhaka, since the fall of the Awami League government.

Referring to recent attacks on temples, Hindu homes, and businesses he said, “We won’t say nothing has happened. At the same time, we must say there has been exaggeration.”