Gono Odhikar Parishad General Secretary Rashed Khan has accused political groups of exploiting Jamaat-Shibir activists for anti-government protests and then disowning them by labeling them as “pro-Pakistani.”
In a recent Facebook post, Rashed Khan claimed that Jamaat-e-Islami and Shibir members played a significant role in the success of recent protests organized to demand the banning of the Awami League. “They were fully present in the Jamuna and Shahbagh blockades, and without their participation, the movement wouldn’t have gained momentum,” he said.
Rashed pointed out that many leaders of the National Committee for Political Reform (NCPR) and allied parties were seen standing and speaking alongside Jamaat-Shibir activists. He estimated that nearly 60% of the crowd at the protest sites were from Islamic parties and madrasa students, possibly even more.
He criticized what he called the “hypocrisy” of NCPR leaders trying to distance themselves from Jamaat-Shibir affiliations after partial success of the movement. “Several Shibir-affiliated individuals are in their core committee. Some of those now criticizing Jamaat were once part of its politics,” he claimed.
Rashed further remarked, “It seems now the narrative is to label Jamaat-Shibir as ‘pro-Pakistani’ after using their manpower. If this is how things go, they might not respond so eagerly next time.” He added that while some claim Jamaat sought revenge for the Shahbagh movement, the protests had a broader public demand and could not be dismissed that easily.
In his concluding remarks, Rashed suggested that if Jamaat’s political purpose is merely to supply manpower on others’ calls, then there’s little more to say about their strategy.
LND/BG
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