Political meet in PM’s office an affront to democratic norms: Jamaat

Jamaat-e-Islami has slammed BNP for holding its Standing Committee meeting at the Prime Minister’s Office inside the Secretariat, calling the use of an executive government facility for a party meeting a troubling affront to democratic norms.
S M Hamidur Rahman Azad, coordinator of the Jamaat-led 11-party alliance and Assistant Secretary General of Jamaat, raised the issue while speaking to reporters after the alliance submitted the nomination papers of its presidential candidate, Col (retd) Oli Ahmed, to the Election Commission on Thursday.
“The Secretariat is an executive government establishment. We are not aware of any precedent where a political party has held its top-level meeting there,” Azad said.
“Why are they doing this? How do they view democracy? Is it democracy only when it serves my party and authoritarianism when it does not?” he asked, saying such practices were inconsistent with democratic principles.
Azad also took a swipe at the BNP over its presidential candidate selection, saying the party appeared to be struggling to find a suitable candidate.

BNP has been of accused for failing to demonstrate any meaningful political change

He contrasted the BNP’s situation with that of the alliance, which has nominated Oli Ahmed.
“Col Oli Ahmed is a qualified candidate. He has come before the people and presented himself before the nation,” Azad said.
He further accused the BNP of failing to demonstrate any meaningful political change despite months of political activity.
“There has been no significant departure from past practices,” he said, referring to recent remarks by BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.