Ensure protests do not destabilise country

Editors of national newspapers have advised Jamaat-e-Islami to ensure that opposition street protests do not destabilise the country, Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar said yesterday.

He made the remarks while briefing journalists after a meeting between Jamaat Ameer and Leader of the Opposition Shafiqur Rahman and editors of national newspapers at the Leader of the Opposition’s official residence on Minto Road in the capital.

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Porwar said Jamaat is playing a constructive role as the main opposition party both inside and outside parliament.

The party has decided to move away from the “bad practices” traditionally associated with opposition parties and cooperate with the government on good initiatives while opposing wrongdoing and anti-people activities to maintain stability in the country, he said.

He said the editors praised Jamaat’s policy and advised that opposition street protests should not destabilise the country.

Porwar said Shafiqur Rahman briefed the editors on the current situation and the role Jamaat and the 11-party alliance were playing in parliament.

He said the Jamaat ameer briefed the editors on the country’s current situation and the role the party and the 11-party alliance are playing in parliament.

The meeting also discussed national issues, public suffering, the crisis surrounding the implementation of the people’s mandate from the referendum held under the July Charter, and geopolitical and international issues, he said.

The meeting also discussed national issues, public suffering and the crisis surrounding the implementation of the people’s mandate from the referendum held on the basis of the July Charter, he said.

Porwar said Jamaat had made it clear that its opposition would remain constitutional and constructive.

He also alleged that the government is discriminating against opposition lawmakers in parliament.

“They are discriminating against opposition MPs in development activities, allocations, speaking in parliament, lawmaking and even in accepting various notices,” he said.

Porwar said Jamaat has been working to address electricity, oil and gas crises, implement the referendum mandate, control commodity prices and protect the rights of expatriate Bangladeshis.

“Despite this, we have not received fair treatment from the Speaker. Rather, we have faced discrimination,” he said, adding that Shafiqur raised the issues at the meeting.

The ameer urged journalists to uphold the truth in their reporting and called on the media to play a responsible role in the country’s democratic transition.

Porwar said the editors observed that Jamaat was different from opposition parties of the past.

“Jamaat wants to make parliament effective in a constructive manner. The government will also have to be responsible for this. The opposition alone cannot do it,” he said.

The meeting was the first such interaction between the Jamaat Ameer and newspaper editors since the government completed six months in office, Porwar said.

Among those present were Mahmudur Rahman, editor of Amar Desh; Mahfuz Anam, editor of The Daily Star; Tasmima Hossain, editor of The Daily Ittefaq; Shafik Rehman, editor of Jaijaidin; Matiur Rahman Chowdhury, editor of Manabzamin; Sazzad Sharif, executive editor of Prothom Alo; Dewan Hanif Mahmud, editor of Bonik Barta; Salahuddin Muhammad Babar, editor of Naya Diganta; and others.

Jamaat Naib-e-Ameer and Deputy Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher, Assistant Secretary General Maulana Rafiqul Islam Khan, Hamidur Rahman Azad, and other central and metropolitan-level leaders of the party were also present.