Published : 21 Sep 2026, 05:26 PM
Updated : 21 Sep 2026, 05:26 PM
The Election Commission (EC) says it is waiting for formal communication from parliament before deciding whether any action can be taken over the parliamentary seat of Gazi Nazrul Islam, two months after he was expelled from Jamaat-e-Islami.
The status of the Satkhira-4 MP has come under renewed scrutiny following his arrest in a case over the alleged abetment of his second wife Mariam Khatun’s suicide.
EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said on Monday that although Jamaat had informed the commission of Nazrul’s expulsion, it could not act without a formal communication from parliament.
“We have not yet received any letter from parliament on the matter,” he told reporters at the Election Commission building. “Once a letter arrives, action will be taken in accordance with the law.”
Jamaat expelled Nazrul on Jul 22, saying an internal investigation had established “moral misconduct” on his part.
The decision came after a video showing Nazrul with Mariam at a hotel in Dhaka’s Moghbazar spread on Facebook on Jul 20.
Jamaat leaders and activists initially claimed the footage had been generated using AI.
Nazrul later acknowledged Mariam as his second wife in a Facebook post.
Jamaat subsequently informed both the speaker and the Election Commission of its decision to expel him.
Asked why the EC had not acted on the party’s letter, Akhtar said: “Jamaat-e-Islami sent us a letter, but under the law, the EC has no scope to take any action unless it receives a letter from parliament.
“There is a provision for the Parliament Secretariat to inform us. We have not received a letter yet, so we will have to wait.”
Akhtar said the EC’s responsibilities extend through the parliamentary election and publication of the gazette, while the administration of the oath and subsequent matters fall under parliament’s jurisdiction.
After receiving Jamaat’s letter on Jul 23, Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud said expulsion from a political party did not, by itself, give the EC grounds to act.
He said an MP’s seat would become vacant if the lawmaker voluntarily resigned from the party.
Masud added that the commission would examine the Constitution and relevant laws if it received a formal “reference” or letter from the speaker or parliament concerning Nazrul’s seat.
Arrest after Mariam’s Death
The issue has resurfaced after police recovered the hanging body of 19-year-old Mariam from a flat at NAM Bhaban opposite the parliament complex on Sunday evening.
Nazrul and his first wife, Maksuda Begum, were taken into custody later that night.
Mariam’s father, SM Masum Billah, subsequently filed a case accusing Nazrul, Maksuda and Mariam’s maternal uncle Obaidur Rahman of abetting her suicide.
A Dhaka court on Monday granted police four days to question Nazrul in custody and one day to question Maksuda.
