Jamaat-e-Islami tells US deputy assistant secretary they want elections by February
“They wanted to know when we want this election. We said that the chief advisor of the government wanted to hold the election by December this year or June next year. We want to see if the chief adviser sticks to his commitment,” he said
After a meeting with US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Nicole Chulick today (16 April), Jamaat Ameer Shafiqur Rahman said the party had informed him that they wanted elections to be held before Ramadan.
"They wanted to know when we want this election. We said that the chief advisor of the government wanted to hold the election by December this year or June next year. We want to see if the chief adviser sticks to his commitment."
He said the party had conveyed their view that elections should be held before Ramadan, which would fall around mid-February.
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"If we wait until June, monsoon, storms, and various types of natural disasters may come. Then there will be a risk of not holding the election. We want the election to be held before Ramadan. That is our opinion."
The meeting began at 2:15pm at the residence of the US Deputy Head of Mission in Gulshan in the capital.
Jamaat-e-Islami's Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar was also present at the time.
After the meeting, Shafiqur Rahman said they had an open discussion.
"They wanted to know about the politics of Bangladesh. They wanted to know when the elections will be held and how they will be held. All the parties are demanding reforms, and it was discussed how those will be implemented and what we want."
Nicole Chulick also asked what the economic and foreign policies of Jamaat would be if they came to power.
"They wanted to know about the issues of the region. We talked openly about these issues. They talked about minorities, women's rights, and labour rights."
The ameer said they had also requested the US to reconsider the issue of the 37% tariff, given the critical juncture Bangladesh is currently at.
"We have made a commitment that we want to practice the same democracy within the country as we practice within the party. For this, we will do whatever we have to do."
On the Awami League, Shafiqur said they had discussed the trial, but wanted to ensure it was a fair one.
