Jamaat will not quit election race under any circumstances, says spokesperson Zubair

He claims a “staged incident” unfolded during the detention of a party leader at Saidpur Airport

Jamaat-e-Islami spokesperson Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair has alleged that a planned campaign of disinformation is being carried out against his party and its leaders to question the election.

On Wednesday, the eve of the parliamentary election, he said Jamaat would not leave the electoral field under any circumstances.

After a meeting with Election Commission Secretary Akhtar Ahmed, he said: “With the support of the people, we will resist terrorists and deliver a free, fair, acceptable and peaceful election.”

He also sought cooperation from journalists.

Leaders of Jamaat, the National Citizen Party (NCP) and the 11-party alliance met the EC secretary to lodge complaints over the detention of the Thakurgaon district Jamaat chief Belal Uddin Pradhan with Tk 7.4 million in cash at Saidpur Airport, remarks by a political leader from Cumilla-4, and issues surrounding body-worn cameras.

Briefing reporters later, Zubair said police “staged a dramatic situation” around Belal inside the terminal and publicised it through selected journalists.

On the cash, he said: “Carrying cash for business purposes is not a crime when banks are closed.”

He added that the leader is currently ill in hospital and that action has been demanded against the police involved.

Zubair also cited threats, attacks, and unequal body-camera distribution, asking whether these were coincidental or deliberate.