Ex-MP Shahjahan Omar granted bail on condition of joining AL ahead of 2024 polls: Inquiry commission

The inquiry commission on the national elections of 2014, 2018, and 2024 has found that former MP Shahjahan Omar, who joined Awami League from the BNP ahead of the 12th parliamentary elections, was granted bail on the condition that he join the opposition party.

The commission described it as a strategy to portray the 2024 election as "participatory" by drawing opposition figures into the polls.

According to the commission's report, several opposition leaders were targeted ahead of the 2024 general election in an effort to create the appearance of inclusive participation. Shahjahan Omar was identified as one of the key figures affected by this strategy.

The report states that Shahjahan was detained on the night of 4 November 2023 and later shown arrested in a bus arson case filed with New Market Police Station in Dhaka. When produced before the court, permission was granted for a three-day remand. He was released on bail on 29 November.

The very next day, on 30 November, Shahjahan announced that he had joined the AL and submitted his nomination papers as the party's candidate for the Jhalakathi-1 constituency.

The commission noted that while several BNP leaders accused in the same case were denied bail, Shahjahan was granted bail under special circumstances. Its findings suggest that law enforcement officials, acting on behalf of the government, held discussions with him in jail and facilitated his release on the condition that he defect to the Awami League.

Beyond individual cases, the report also highlights attempts to bring opposition-aligned parties into the electoral process. One such example involved the Bangladesh Kalyan Party.

Its chairman, Syed Muhammad Ibrahim, had publicly stated in June 2023 that removing what he termed the "authoritarian government" was his party's top political priority. In another event, he claimed that no election would be accepted by the public without a non-partisan caretaker government.

However, on 22 November, Ibrahim formed a new alliance named "Jukto Front" with Bangladesh Jatiya Party and Bangladesh Muslim League, and announced participation in the election.

According to information obtained by the commission, intelligence agencies played a role in influencing Ibrahim's decision to contest the election, with assurances that he would be made a member of parliament at any cost. As part of this plan, he contested from the Cox's Bazar-1 constituency.

The report further alleges that to ensure Ibrahim's victory, the nomination of Awami League candidate Salahuddin Ahmed was cancelled by trapping him in a loan default case.