The Jatiya Party, led by GM Quader, brother of former military dictator Lt Gen Hussain Muhammed Ershad, has a controversial history marred by allegations of anti-Hindu and anti-India sentiments, fostering Islamist inclinations, and connections to past political turmoil in Bangladesh.
Lt Gen Hussain Muhammed Ershad, known for his anti-secular stance, significantly altered Bangladesh’s constitutional fabric, elevating Islam to a state religion. His absence during Bangladesh’s struggle for independence in 1971, while serving in West Pakistan, and purported involvement in identifying and targeting Bengali intellectuals during the war, raise disturbing questions about his legacy.
GM Quader, formerly associated with Islamist politics during his student years, later pursued education at BUET before joining the Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC). Notably, BCIC was led by Mosharraf Hussain, whose wife was allegedly taken by Gen Ershad. Post-retirement, Mosharraf aligned with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), while Ershad’s purported secret wife joined the Jatiya Party.
With Bangladesh gearing up for the January 7, 2024 general election, GM Quader has strategically appealed to the ruling Awami League (AL), urging engineered elections favoring Jatiya Party candidates. Despite past claims of massive support, statistics reveal a sharp decline in the party’s influence, with a mere two percent national vote bank and over 86 percent of its candidates losing security deposits in recent general elections.
The Jatiya Party’s push for engineered elections, seeking AL’s backing for uncontested seats, underscores GM Quader’s changing stance, initially criticizing the lack of a fair electoral environment under Sheikh Hasina’s leadership but now advocating for her support to sustain the party’s relevance.
This maneuvering by the Jatiya Party coincides with existing criticisms of Bangladesh’s election processes, inviting international scrutiny. Granting the Jatiya Party’s demands for engineered elections could undermine Bangladesh’s democratic integrity, creating a government vulnerable to the whims of a party with diminishing credibility.
The Awami League must resist succumbing to the Jatiya Party’s pressures, instead upholding fair competition among all political entities in the upcoming election. Any concession risks severe repercussions, tarnishing Bangladesh’s democratic future and inviting censure from Western nations.
Moreover, alleged covert affiliations between the Jatiya Party and the BNP, particularly involving Tarique Rahman, suggest collusion aimed at manipulating future elections. Secret meetings in Dubai involving a figure from Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) indicate a complex web of clandestine dealings, potentially impacting Bangladesh’s political landscape.
While the Jatiya Party and BNP maintain a facade of political rivalry, behind the scenes, they seemingly harbor mutual interests, possibly seeking to disrupt future elections. Reports suggest a covert understanding wherein the Jatiya Party pledges support to revive unelected caretaker governments, echoing Pakistan’s system, unsettling Bangladesh’s democratic trajectory.
The looming specter of engineered elections and potential alliances among parties for future political gains underscores the volatile nature of Bangladesh’s political landscape, highlighting the need for fair, transparent electoral processes and a commitment to genuine democratic progress.
The recent demands by the Jatiya Party for engineered elections have prompted considerations in Washington to impose visa restrictions on numerous party leaders, including its chairman and MP candidates, signaling international concern over Bangladesh’s political developments.
Jatiya Party leaders reportedly have guaranteed Tarique Rahman of getting the caretaker system revived within maximum six months of the next tenure of the government and suddenly resign en masse from parliament thus paving the path for a fresh election. Once that happens, Jatiya Party shall join the BNP-led alliance and subsequently become a coalition partner in the Ultra-Islamist government led by the BNP.
Another source said, the final arrangement of a secret romance between BNP and Jatiya Party was chalked-out when Jatiya Party chief GM Quader silently visited Dubai a few months ago being accompanied by his special envoy and nephew. At least two meetings took place between the Jatiya Party delegation and an influential officer of Pakistan’s Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI). In presence of the ISI officer, Jatiya Party leaders had also joined a Skype meeting with BNP’s Tarique Rahman.
Most interesting part here is – while Jatiya Party leaders have been repeatedly telling foreign envoys that there is no scope for a free and fair election under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and there was “no level playing field”, now Jatiya Party is begging mercy of ruling Awami League in the upcoming general election – to ensure its survival. Jatiya Party is demanding uncontested 60+ seats. Meaning, they want an engineered election.
GM Quader even went further by saying, Awami League wants to retain power through another ‘farcical’ election to establish one-party rule. He said, “If they [AL] come back to power, a total dictatorship will be established in the country. One-party rule will be established. Basic human rights, including freedom of speech, will disappear. If there are other political parties, they will also be subservient to the Awami League. No more voices will be found to speak”.
Commenting on the consequence of an engineered election on January 7, 2024, political analysts say, Jatiya Party might be doing this as per advice from BNP leader Tarique Rahman so that the election can be labelled as illegal.
It further said, Jatiya Party wants to ensure a significant number of seats in the next parliament so that it can exert tremendous pressure on Awami League in restoring caretaker government system. Once it is done, Jatiya Party members would simultaneously resign from the parliament and join BNP-led alliance.
In order to skip such risk, Awami League policymakers need to seriously consider the following points:
- Awami League should not help GM Quader in winning the election through any illegal means,
- Awami League should not grant more than 10-12 seats to Jatiya Party,
- Such consequence can only be avoided if Trinamool Jatiya Party remains as opposition in the parliament with maximum 10-12 seats, where GM Quader and few BNP-inclined figures should not be included.
Another analyst said, ruling party’s experiment of dividing Bangladesh Nationalist Party has already flopped, as Trinamool BNP and few more parties have already been proved to be incapable of playing an important role in the politics and parliament. Even local media outlets have started ignoring Trinamool BNP and similar parties which are being labelled as “King’s party” by anti-Awami League media outlets.
Meanwhile, according to a credible source, following the latest development of Jatiya Party demanding an engineered election, key policymakers in Washington are considering imposing visa restrictions on dozens of leaders of this party, including its chairman and MP candidates.
