Eight of the combine of 12 ‘Islamist’ and likeminded parties on Wednesday announced that they had nothing to do with Thursday’s general strike called in the name of alliance for eight hours in Dhaka and from dawn-to-dusk elsewhere.
The announcement came in a media statement signed, among others, by the 12-party combine Convener Muhiudduin Khan, hours before the strike programme.
The statement said no unanimous decision had been made over the issue.
The combine’s Member Secretary Zafarullah Khan announced on Wednesday at Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish headquarters that the 12 parties would enforce Thursday’s shutdown in protest against the general strike by the left-leaning political parties demanding a ban on Islamic parties.
In the statement, the eight party leaders, however, protested the general strike enforced by the left-leaning parties. They said they did not agree with those who had called a shutdown to ban religion-based politics in a country where 90 percent of the people are Muslim.
The leaders who signed the statement are Muhiudduin Khan, ’12 Islamic and Likeminded Parties’ Joint Convener and Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish Amir Mohammad Ishaq, Bangladesh Nejam-e-Islam Party President Abdur Rakib and Secretary General Abul Latif Nejami, Bangladesh Muslim League President Nurul Haq Majumder and Secretary General Kazi Abul Khayer, Bhashani Front Chairman Momtaz Chowdhury and General Secretary Md Mizanur Rahman, Bangladesh Islamic Party President Abdul Mobin and Secretary General M A Rashid Pradhan, National Democratic Party (NDP) Chairman Khandker Golam Mortoza and Secretary General Alamgir Majumder and National Awami Party (NAP-Bhashani) Chairman Sheikh Anwarul Haq and Secretary General Hashrat Khan Bhashani.
NDP Secretary General Alamgir told bdnews24.com: “This shutdown has been called without consulting us. In no way are we involved with this hartal.”
Immediately after calling the strike, NAP in a statement, signed by its Office Secretary Md Nurul Aman Chowdhury, on Tuesday said they had no links with the programme.
NAP-Bhashani and NDP leaders told bdnews24.com that they did not endorse the shutdown.
Now all the parties of the combine other than Khalefat Andolon, Sammilito Olama-Mashayekh Andolon, Ainma Parishad and Jamiyate Ulama Islam have backed out of the strike.
Meanwhile, Khelafat Andolon Office Secretary Sultan Mohiuddin Khan told bdnews24.com that the strike time had been reduced to half-day in Dhaka taking into consideration Thursday’s conference of Qaumi Madrasa Education Board.
He said Rangpur would be out of the strike because of the city corporation elections there.
Zafarullah Khan did not receive phone calls for his version about the eight parties’ position.
Source: Bd News24