BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami are maintaining distance with each other, as BNP is facing pressure from the international community to severe relations with Jamaat. Jamaat itself is also not happy with BNP for its role during anti-government movement and on question of trial of its leaders in connection with war crimes. The BNP-led 18-party alliance is likely to be reorganised within a few months dropping Jamaat and other Islamic parties of the alliance, insiders hinted. The BNP is also contemplating to include some smaller parties in the fold of its alliance. The names of parties, which are being discussed, include Jatiya Party (JP-Zafar),Krishak Sramik Janata League, JSD (Rab) and Bikalpadhara Bangladesh. The distance between BNP and the Islamic parties, including Jamaat-e-Islami, was demonstrated at the Sunday’s rally of the BNP in city’s Suhrawardy Udyan. For the first time since the emergence of the alliance, the BNP held the rally alone, keeping distance from Jamaat and three other religion-based alliance partners — Islami Oikya Jote, Khelafat Majlis and Jamiate Ulama-e-Islam. All the parties were absent from the meeting. Though the BNP held the rally in the city alone, rallies across the country were held under the banner of the 18-party alliance.Talking to The New Nation, some leaders of the alliance said that a distance between BNP and the Islamic parties has been created following the rally. The ‘distance’ was however, described by some other leaders as a strategy of the alliance, as the main alliance will concentrate to one point movement- forcing the government to resign paving way for fresh elections.BNP leader Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman told The New Nation that his party would not bow to any pressure. BNP, he said, was in government for three times. He said the relation with Jamaat is not permanent but a strategic one.A Jamaat leader said that the BNP will devise its own strategy and it will just follow it. “Whatever decision the BNP takes, it will not harm our relations. We took the decision of not joining the Sunday’s rally after consultation with the BNP,” said Dr Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher, a former Jamaat MP and the party’s central leader. He said that the permission of the rally was given to the BNP on condition that Jamaat and other Islamic parties of the alliance would not join it. Another leader said that they did not want to embarrass the BNP by showing up at the rally. Jamaat-e-Islami is as it appears is not happy with the BNP since the execution of Abdul Quader Mollah’s death verdict as the BNP did not give any reaction to it. Jamaat was gradually distancing itself from the BNP since that time. The party believes that it has already lost many of its leaders and workers in the anti-government movement. “If the anti-government movement succeeds, BNP will benefit more than Jamaat but only a few BNP men were seen on the streets”, another Jamaat leader said. BNP has already given the signal that it could isolate itself from Jamaat and other Islamic parties if the situation so demands for reaching on understanding on fresh elections. The European Union parliament adopted a resolution on Thursday, urging the BNP to distance itself from Jamaat and Hefazat while stressing the importance of shunning political violence and the need for consensus between the major parties. Khaleda Zia made it clear to the media that her party would cut ties with Jamaat “at the right time”.Kazi Zafar Ahmed told the media that his party would jointly wage movement with the BNP-led 18-party alliance for a free, fair and inclusive national election under a non-party administration. He was among of the leaders who addressed Sunday’s BNP rally.ASM Abdur Rab when contacted without giving any clear reply whether his party would join BNP led alliance if it breaks ties with Jamaat said that it was yet to be decided. He said his party favours forces, which are pro-liberation as he was a freedom fighter. Bangabir Kader Siddique earlier made it conditional that his party could join the BNP led alliance if it could isolate itself from forces which are known as anti-liberation.
