Bangladesh News

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) might boycott the new government cabinet’s induction ceremony today in Bangabhaban as its key ally in four-party alliance Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami was not invited, although two of its members-elect of the parliament were.

Some BNP insiders said another reason for the party’s possible absence in the ceremony today is that its presence there might be regarded as its acceptance of archrival Awami League’s (AL) landslide victory in the recent election.

A close aide to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, however, told The Daily Star last night that the BNP chief might send a representative to the ceremony at the last moment.

Several BNP members-elect of the parliament (MPs-elect) also said last night that they too had yet to get any official invitation.

Jamaat-e-Islami was not invited to the new cabinet’s induction ceremony because numerous senior leaders of the Islamist party had been involved in war crimes and acted against the country’s birth.

The interim government’s move not to invite Jamaat was prompted by an objection from the new parliament majority party AL and other pro-liberation forces, sources said.

Officials of Jamaat’s central office and several of its leaders yesterday told The Daily Star that they did not know whether any of their other leaders got the invitation.

Several BNP leaders and its MPs-elect said they also were not aware about their party’s decision regarding its presence at today’s ceremony.

Sector Commanders Forum (SCF), a platform of the sector commanders in the country’s liberation war in 1971, has been running a campaign demanding trials of war criminals since its birth in October 2007.

SCF has seen much success in mobilising public support for its demand through mass rallies and other programmes across the country against Jamaat-e-Islami leaders who were involved in war crimes.

It has been demanding that the government does not invite anti-liberation war forces including Jamaat-e-Islami to any state event.

SCF leaders also boycotted several such events protesting presence of Jamaat leaders there.

Political analysts are saying one of the reasons behind BNP’s unexpected smashing defeat in the recent general election was its electoral alliance with Jamaat.

Some BNP insiders said their Chairperson Khaleda Zia and Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain, who are invited to the ceremony, will not go because their MPs-elect are yet to be inducted into the parliament.

They also said exclusion of Jamaat from the list of invitee parties, is another reason for BNP’s possible absence in the ceremony.

Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP) Chief Andaliv Rahman Partho, an MP-elect with a four-party alliance ticket, told The Daily Star last night that he too had yet to get any invitation card.

After a debacle in the December 29, 2008 general election, BNP leadership has been facing pressure both from inside and outside the party to ditch Jamaat.

Menwhile, President Iajuddin Ahmed yesterday formally invited AL chief Sheikh Hasina to head the new government as the majority leader.

The new cabinet led by the AL president will be sworn in by the country’s president in Bangabhaban in the evening today.

AL-led grand alliance won a landslide victory in the recent parliamentary election winning 230 seats, while its major allies Jatiya Party, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, and Worker’s Party won 27, 3 and 2 seats respectively. On the other hand the rival BNP-led alliance, which had ruled the country between 2001 and 2006, managed to win only 32 seats.