Dhaka: Leader of the Opposition in Parliament and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman on Sunday accused the BNP of resorting to the same authoritarian practices that opposition parties had faced during the fascist Awami League regime, urging the party to respect the people’s mandate and democratic values.

According to United News of Bangladesh, Dr Shafiqur Rahman made these remarks while addressing a discussion titled ‘Jan Debo, July Debo Na’, organized by the Bangladesh Labour Party at the Jatiya Press Club. He highlighted that both Jamaat and BNP had endured over 17 years of repression before the political change brought by the July movement.

Dr Shafiqur described the current political landscape as a ‘photocopy’ of past fascist practices, alleging that the BNP has embraced tactics of suppressing dissent through propaganda, conspiracy, and the use of force. He questioned BNP’s stance on the referendum and accused the party of ignoring the will of the people, despite previously supporting the process.

The Jamaat chief emphasized that Bangladesh’s Liberation War in 1971 was fought against discrimination and the denial of voting rights, warning that repeating such mistakes will have serious consequences. He criticized the increasing politicisation in public administration and alleged partisan appointments to key government positions.

Calling for a non-partisan election-time administration, Shafiqur urged the government to ensure elections that genuinely reflect the people’s mandate. He further alleged that opposition activists are facing politically motivated cases and condemned incidents of violence against protesters, stating that such actions contradict the aspirations of the July movement.

The programme was also addressed by National Citizen Party (NCP) Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) President Col (retd) Oli Ahmad, and Labour Party Chairman Mostafizur Rahman Iran.