Jamaat leader Taher voices fear of ‘rigged’ election

Jamaat-e-Islami Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher has expressed concern that the upcoming national election could be rigged.

He expressed the concern during a briefing at the party chief’s office in the capital’s Bashundhara area on Wednesday (January 7).

Taher alleged that in recent weeks the government, law enforcement agencies and the administration— including the military—have shown bias toward a particular political party, raising fears that the next election may follow the pattern of previous disputed polls.

Warning that a manipulated election would push the country toward further instability, he urged the government and the Election Commission to act impartially to safeguard Bangladesh.

Earlier, a three-member delegation of the European Union met Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman at the Bashundhara office.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Taher said discussions focused on the possibility of deploying EU election observers, as well as broader issues related to the parliamentary election and Rohingya repatriation.

He said the delegation was told that holding a fair and credible election in Bangladesh is essential, adding that the absence of free and proper elections has been one of the main causes of the country’s political crises over the past 55 years.