Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami’s Secretary General and former MP, Professor Mia Golam Porwar, issued the following statement on March 10, strongly condemning and protesting the baseless and false comments made by retired Indian diplomat Veena Sikri regarding Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Chhatrashibir:

"I strongly condemn and protest the baseless and false comments made by retired Indian diplomat Veena Sikri regarding Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami in a recent extensive interview published by India Foundation. There is not a minimum truth in her statements about Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. Her remarks are entirely baseless, politically motivated, and nothing but falsehoods. Her statements clearly indicate that she is completely ignorant about Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami.

She claimed that ‘Jamaat-e-Islami was an agent of the ISI and that the party (Jamaat) acted as a tool of Pakistan’s dominance,’ which is entirely baseless and imaginary. Her comments have no connection to reality. She made these misleading remarks with the sole intention of politically discrediting Jamaat-e-Islami."

We have no words to condemn the baseless, false, and imaginary comments made by Veena Sikri, claiming that ‘Jamaat-e-Islami does not recognize the Constitution of Bangladesh as the supreme document and that Islami Chhatrashibir looted weapons, which are still in private hands.’ In response to her baseless and false remarks, I want to make it explicitly clear that Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has been engaged in systematic and democratic politics in this country since its inception in 1979, fully adhering to the Constitution of Bangladesh.

Former Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami, Maulana Matiur Rahman Nizami, and former Secretary General, Mr. Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid, both took oath as the minister of the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh abiding by the Constitution of Bangladesh and served as ministers accordingly. Even today, Jamaat continues to conduct its political activities in full compliance with the country’s Constitution. This alone is enough to prove that Veena Sikri’s comments are baseless and false.

In response to her statement, I want to clearly assert that the leaders and activists of Islami Chhatrashibir have never set fire to any police station or looted weapons. Therefore, the question of them possessing weapons does not arise.

We believe that it is highly inappropriate for a diplomat of another country to speak in the same tone as the allies of fascism and make baseless and false remarks about the activities and operations of a political party and a student organization in another country. I hope that former Indian diplomat Veena Sikri will be refrained from making baseless and false statements about Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Chhatrashibir, and that she will express regret for her fabricated and misleading comments regarding Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Chhatrashibir."