Jamaat grown wings, BNP instiling fear from abroad: Nasiruddin Patwari

The National Citizen Party (NCP) Chief Organiser Nasiruddin Patwari on Tuesday (December 9) sharply criticised the rise of Jamaat-e-Islami and the BNP’s strategy of instilling fear from abroad.

Speaking at the Jatiya Jubo Shakti representatives’ conference, he said Jamaat is misleading the public under the guise of “new thinking” while exploiting religion for political gain, noting that the party has now “grown wings.”

Patwari added that although Jamaat had occasionally undertaken positive initiatives in the past, they were short-lived. Their true nature was revealed within two months of the DU (Dhaka University) elections. Currently, they are using student votes to spread propaganda across the country.

He accused the BNP of creating nationwide chaos between 2001 and 2006 due to governance failures, which allowed one-eleventh governments to rise and led to widespread youth oppression.

Patwari said Jamaat manipulates religious sentiments to mislead people, and urged political actors to engage in transparent, principled politics. “Jamaat may have wings now, but even in Pakistan they did not succeed electorally,” he noted.

Targeting BNP, he alleged that during their 2001–2006 tenure, they colluded with Jamaat in widespread corruption and are now attempting to form new religion-based political platforms.

He also claimed that after the mass uprising, BNP and Jamaat tried to co-opt movement leaders.

On intimidation tactics, Patwari said, “Attempts to scare us come from London, not from within the country. We fear no one—neither in reality nor online.”