• Demands release of all political detainees including Jamaat Ameer
• Urges to restore caretaker government system to hold a free, fair and credible election

A meeting of the central executive committee of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami was held with party’s Acting Ameer and former MP Professor Mujibur Rahman in the chair. The meeting analyzed the latest political situation including the upcoming 12^th national election, release of Jamaat Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman, other leaders and religious scholars and the unlawful activities of the law enforcement agencies. The meeting also adopted the following proposals:

“12^th National Election is going to be held soon. But still there is lack of favorable condition for holding a free, fair and credible election. Although the intellectual sections and international quarters gave their opinions in favor of such acceptable election, but paying no heed to such views, the government is mulling to make the country toward a failure and ineffective state. We want to assert that Jamaat-e-Islami will not take part in any election without a caretaker government. Jamaat-e-Islami is a pro-people party. Jamaat will not participate in a farcical election. The incumbent fascist government has seized the people’s voting rights. People are being deprived from exercising their voting rights and constitutionally recognized other democratic rights. The elections which had been held under the current regime were not free and fair.

The torture and oppression of the present government has exceeded all previous records. The leaders and activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Chhatrashibir have become the worst victims of these repressions. They have executed the top Jamaat leaders to death through a farcical trial. Hundreds of thousands of leaders and activists have been arrested so far. Jamaat Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman was arrested from his residence on 12^th December of last year. Party’s Secretary General Professor Mia Golam Porwar, Assistant Secretary General Maulana Rafiqul Islam Khan and party’s central Majlish-e-Shura member and former MP Shahjahan Chowdhury have been kept behind the bar for more than two years. They have secured bail from the High Court. Even the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court have directed not to arrest or not to harass these leaders. But this directive of the highest court is also being denied repeatedly.

In recent times, police’s misbehavior with the opposition parties are unprecedented. Police have been continuing raids in the houses and offices of the Jamaat and Chhatrashibir leaders. They are vandalizing the houses and other furniture. They are also insulting and harassing the women, aged and kids of the families. Instead of preserving the public lives and properties, the law enforcers are working to suppress the opposition parties.

Jamaat’s central executive committee, under these circumstances urges the government to accept the demand of holding next election under a caretaker government, to release Jamaat Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman and other detained leaders and activists and religious scholars and also to stop harassment and arrest drives of the law enforcers across the country.