Hefazat eyes Patiya after successful collaboration with BNP-Jamaat

Radical Islamist group Hefazat-e-Islam has reportedly been gearing up preparations to win the vice-chairman seat in the upcoming Patiya upazila parishad poll, inspired by the group’s similar success at the recent election in Hathazari upazila with the support of the BNP and its political ally Jamaat-e-Islami.

Newly elected Hathazari upazila parishad Chairman Mahabubul Alam Chowdhury, who is also the BNP upazila unit general secretary, admitted that the Hefazat and the 19-party alliance had jointly taken part in the election.

“I was elected chairman from the BNP, while the Hefazat candidate was elected vice-chairman and the Jamaat candidate in the vice chairman post reserved for women,” Mahabubul said, adding that BNP leaders including party Vice-Chairman Abdullah-Al-Noman had campaigned for all of the three candidates.

Rabiul Hossain, assistant secretary of the Jamaat district (north) unit, said a landslide victory by the 19-party candidates in all the three posts of Hathazari upazila parishad had been achieved because there was no division among the parties concerned.

Nasir Uddin Munir, general secretary of the Hefazat’s Hathazari municipality unit, was elected vice-chairman of Hathazari upazila parishad in the election held on February 19.

Saying he was the single candidate of the 19-party alliance for the vice-chairman post, Munir told the Dhaka Tribune that BNP leaders had taken part in his electoral campaign.

“I could be elected with huge margin because of the support from Hefazat, Islamic scholars and the 19-party alliance,” he said.

Sources at Hathazari said the Hefazat leaders initially submitted nominations for both chairman and vice chairman posts, but withdrew candidacy for the chairman post following an understanding with the 19-party alliance.

Hefazat leader Munir bagged 54,018 votes, while his nearest contender Akhter Hossain of ruling Awami League got only 18,601 votes for the vice-chairman post.

Following the win at Hathazari, activists of Hefazat have now engaged in all-out efforts to secure the vice-chairman post in Patiya in the poll scheduled for tomorrow.

Local sources said Hefazat central leaders, including its Secretary General Junaid Babunagari, have been working hard to pave the way for the victory of Anwar Hossain Rabbani in Patiya upazila.

Sources also said Babunagari visited Patiya more than once in recent times, but chose to keep his activities limited to only briefing the local leaders on their course of action instead of taking part in public campaigning.

According to local sources, the Patiya Madrasa – which has nearly five thousand students – has a strong influence in the area as a Hefazat stronghold, similar to the influence that Al-jamiatul Ahlia Darul Ulum Muinul Islam (Hathazari madrasa) has at Hathazari.

Hefazat leaders and activists as well as Islamic scholars have been working around the clock to secure a win in Patiya, Rabbani told the Dhaka Tribune, adding that he was confident of his victory, as voter response has been positive.

“The local BNP has also extended support to me,” he claimed, but added that there were two rebel candidates of the party.

Azizul Hoque Islamabadi, organising secretary of Hefazat, said they had not backed any candidate officially. However, a leader of the organisation won the vice-chairman post in Hathazari with a huge margin, which was a victory for country’s Islamic scholars, he added.

“It is also a message to the government,” Azizul said, adding that the leaders and activists of the organisation were highly inspired by the victory.

Another leader of Hefazat said those who thought that Hefazat had been crippled after the crackdown in Dhaka’s Shapla Chattar would realise their mistake with the victory of the vice-chairman post in Hathazari.

“We are confident about winning the vice-chairman post of Patiya upazila too,” he added.

However, Hefazat Chief Ahmad Shafi claimed that the platform has not set any candidate for the upazila polls in a statement on Sunday.