BNP sees Jamaat preference in admin reshuffles, questions govt's neutrality

The BNP feels that individuals linked to Jamaat-e-Islami are being given priority in election-related activities and key administrative reshuffles ahead of the upcoming general election, raising concerns over the neutrality of the interim government.

These issues were raised at a standing committee meeting held on Monday night. The meeting, chaired virtually from London by the party's acting chairman Tarique Rahman, began around 9pm at the BNP chairperson's political office in Gulshan and ended around 11pm.

Party sources said the meeting raised concern that Jamaat-affiliated officials were being appointed or transferred to influential posts in the administration and constitutional bodies, while BNP's recommendations were being ignored.

In response, the standing committee decided that once Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus returns to the country, senior BNP leaders will meet him to convey the party's concerns.

In addition, a BNP delegation led by standing committee member Abdul Moyeen Khan is expected to visit the Election Commission within the next few days to meet the Chief Election Commissioner. The delegation will brief the commission on the party's concerns and urge it to ensure a level playing field.

The meeting also discussed the issue of signing the July Charter. BNP members said the party would sign the charter only if its opinions and proposals raised during dialogue were properly reflected in the final version.

A few participants raised the prospect of holding a referendum. In response, several members said a referendum could not be held before the general election, but the Election Commission could conduct it simultaneously with the parliamentary vote, which they said would not draw any objection.

A standing committee member, requesting anonymity, said some advisers' remarks and activities have undermined the government's neutrality. 

He alleged that a few advisers were acting with bias, particularly in favour of Jamaat, and that BNP had information suggesting Jamaat sympathisers were being prioritised in the appointment of polling officials at the field level.

He added that to ensure a free, fair, and credible election, the government must maintain strict neutrality. "It should now function in the spirit of a non-partisan caretaker administration to guarantee full neutrality of both the government and the bureaucracy," he said.

Those present at the meeting included BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and standing committee members Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Barrister Jamiruddin Sircar, Mirza Abbas, Abdul Moyeen Khan, Nazrul Islam Khan, Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, Salahuddin Ahmed, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku, Selima Rahman, Maj (retd) Hafizuddin Ahmed, and AZM Zahid Hossain.