Partisan appointments underway in Bangladesh: Jamaat Ameer

Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer and Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Dr Shafiqur Rahman on Thursday alleged that Bangladesh is witnessing ‘shameless partisan appointments’ across key state institutions, saying the aspirations of the July Uprising are being undermined by political favoritism.

Addressing an interaction with the families of those martyred and injured during the July uprising at the Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh (IDEB) in Kakrail, organised by Dhaka North and South units of Jamaat-e-Islami, he said the movement sought to establish a Bangladesh free from fascism, discrimination and injustice.

“Instead of fulfilling those aspirations, qualified and patriotic people are being removed while appointments to government, semi-government and private institutions, banks, insurance companies, corporations, the administration and other key positions are being made on political considerations,” he alleged.

Describing the process as “a new form of quota,” Dr Rahman claimed that honest and competent individuals were being replaced by politically favoured and corrupt people.

He said those who sacrificed their lives during the movement had sought systemic change rather than simply replacing one political party with another. Referring to the 2024 uprising, he claimed Jamaat openly supported the protesting students but never sought credit for the movement after its success.

Dr Rahman also alleged that extortion increased after August 6 despite warnings to political leaders, and reiterated his party's demand for justice for those killed during the uprising.

"We seek justice, not revenge. Those responsible for the killings of the martyrs will one day face justice," he said, adding that Jamaat would continue to uphold the spirit of the July movement and stand beside the families of the martyrs and the injured.

Among others, Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar, political scientist Dilara Chowdhury, former diplomat Sakib Ali, reserved-seat MP Rokeya Begum, Assistant Secretary General Hamidur Rahman Azad, Mir Mostafizur Rahman, father of martyr Mir Mahfuzur Rahman Mugdha, and Dhaka South Jamaat Ameer Nurul Islam Bulbul attended the programme.