No such thing as 'pro-Pakistanism' in Bangladesh: Hefazat
Anyone wishing to do politics in Bangladesh must renounce pro-Pakistanism, Adviser Mahfuj wrote on FB
Claiming that there is no such thing as 'pro-Pakistanism' in Bangladesh, Hefazat-e-Islam warned that Indian rhetoric could provoke divisions within the 'July unity'.
In a statement today (13 May), the party's Joint Secretary General Maulana Azizul Haque Islamabadi said, "Indian media repeatedly frames the anti-fascist and anti-hegemonic student-public of Bangladesh as 'pro-Pakistan'. Amid such circumstances, labelling dissenters as 'pro-Pakistan' is simply a way of reviving Indian narratives in this country.
"During the fascist rule of the Awami regime, we saw such sweeping use of Indian rhetoric to suppress and eliminate the opposition. We do not want to return to such a self-destructive, regressive political culture in a post-hegemonic and post-fascist Bangladesh. Any use of Indian rhetoric now could provoke fresh divisions in the July unity and open doors for Indian hegemonism. We call on all concerned to act with caution and responsibility in this matter."
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His remarks come after Information Adviser Mahfuj Alam took to his Facebook on Sunday (11 May) and wrote, "The question of 1971 must be resolved. Those who collaborated in war crimes must apologise. Anyone wishing to do politics in Bangladesh must renounce pro-Pakistanism."
"Pakistan carried out genocide in this country…The indirect narratives justifying genocide must stop. The sabotage being carried out by infiltrating the [2024] July movement must end. If one wants to be part of this, they must come clean and speak clearly," the adviser wrote.
Referring to the events of 1947, 1971, and 2024, Hefazat-e-Islam's statement also said Indian anti-Muslim narratives are present regarding each of these events, and "we must confront them".
"We must not deny any of them; instead, we must embrace all three as part of rebuilding our history and our state in unity."
"During the fascist regime, Indian rhetoric and narratives were used to carry out judicial killings of the top Islamic leaders of this country. Such repetition must never be allowed again. We do not believe that anything called 'pro-Pakistanism' exists in this country."
"To build a strong political culture rooted in support for Bangladesh, we call on all anti-fascist forces to remain united on the questions of 1947, 1971, and 2024," the statement reads.
