Joining Jamaat a double offence for martyr families: MP Fazlur Rahman

A heated debate erupted in the Parliament on Tuesday after a Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) lawmaker claimed that members of freedom fighter or martyr families commit a "double offence" by joining Jamaat-e-Islami. 

The remarks triggered loud protests from the opposition benches, temporarily halting proceedings and forcing the Speaker to intervene.

BNP Member of Parliament Fazlur Rahman, representing Kishoreganj-4 and a veteran of the 1971 Liberation War, made the comments during a discussion on the motion of thanks for the President's address. 

During his speech, Rahman drew a sharp contrast between the historic Liberation War and the recent August 5 mass uprising that toppled the previous government.

Refusing to label the August 5 movement a "revolution," Rahman argued that comparing a one-month uprising to the deep, historical struggle of 1971 is like comparing a well to the Pacific Ocean. 

He also strongly condemned the post-August 5 violence, specifically highlighting the looting of police stations, the theft of state weapons, and the killing of law enforcement officers. He demanded a thorough investigation and trials for these incidents, insisting that the perpetrators should receive no legal indemnity. 

The parliamentary session reached a boiling point when Rahman directed his comments at the Leader of the Opposition and Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer, Shafiqur Rahman. 

Referencing the opposition leader's claims of belonging to a martyr's family, the BNP MP stated that a relative of a martyr simply cannot support Jamaat, adding that doing so constitutes a double crime against the nation's history. 

The remark caused immediate chaos as Jamaat-e-Islami and other opposition members stood up and shouted in protest. Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed repeatedly urged lawmakers to maintain decorum and take their seats, reminding them that the session was being broadcast live to the nation. 

He assured the house that lawmakers would be given time to formally counter the arguments and that any unparliamentary language would be expunged from the official records.

In his rebuttal, Opposition Leader Shafiqur Rahman accused the BNP lawmaker of launching an unwarranted personal attack. He condemned the remarks as unparliamentary, stating that no one has the right to question his familial identity or his political ideology. Urging for respectful and fact-based debates, Shafiqur remarked that when logic fails, tempers flare, and he called upon politicians to avoid divisive rhetoric. 

Seeking to defuse the lingering tension, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed took the floor. While acknowledging Fazlur Rahman as a veteran politician with a rich grasp of history, the minister urged lawmakers to focus on the present and the future. 

He appealed to the parliament not to divide the nation anew over the history of the Liberation War, emphasizing that lawmakers must work together to fulfill the expectations of the youth and the "July fighters" who brought about the recent political transition.