Though US called it a rights report, the brazen advocacy for political empowerment of an outfit Jamaat e Islami, that vowed to snatch away all civic rights, sent a shock wave through civil society members, rights activists, war heroes and minority rights leaders.
They say such absurdity and inclusion of politically motivated narrative clearly shows the report focused less on facts and replete with inaccuracies, a testament to reliance on biased sources and show a replication of the previous report.
Appalled at the sheer disregard on the part of the US to concerns repeatedly raised by them over the projection of Jamaat even in 2023, they also pointed out such a continuous projection shows that the US did not fall back from reliance on sources that already exposed for working to further the interest of Jamaat.
Rights activists slam US report’s claims about Jamaat
Led by war criminals turned extremist preachers who are ardent advocates for Sairah law, Jamaat leaders even threatened to abolish all the secular credentials of the country earned over an ocean of blood since the birth of Bangladesh.
Jamaat-e-Islami in Bangladesh: Past, Present and Future
Before the polls, from an October 28 rally in the capital, Jamaat leaders offered a vision that would take Bangladesh back to Islamic rules.
Vowing to enforce Sharia law in the country, acting Jamaat Ameer Mujibur Rahman said no man-made laws would be allowed to be in force, according to a media report.
Jamaat to resist election without caretaker govt
Yet the latest US report calls for freedom of assembly for Jamaat and advocates for more freedom of assembly of the outfit in the country.
Jamaat opposed the birth of Bangladesh and leaders actively took part in the genocide campaign in league with Paksitan Army back in 1971.
In a sheer audacity to flaunt rule of law, Jamaat placed war criminals at top rank and file for decades, a point aptly explains why most of the war criminals belonged to Jamaat.
The decades of impunity for war criminals came under strain due to the initiation of war crimes trial since 2009. As US armed the Pak army back in 1971, the official recognisition of one of the worst genocide is long overdue.
As top war criminals from Jamaat brought to justice, thanks to the trial process, Jamaat reportedly deployed lobbyists and spent millions in US to question the trial process.
According to media reports, top Jamaat leaders struck million dollar deal with US lobbyist firms in a move to discredit the trial process.
Even Jon Kerry, during his stint as secretary of state, reportedly dialed Bangladesh premier to stonewall justice against one of the top war criminals.
War heroes and rights activists back then pointed out the appointment of lobbyists behind the call with many claimed ‘US still harbours the foot-solders of 1971 genocide in Bangladesh to further its geo political interest.
Prior to the polls, BNP and Jamaat jointly waged a violent campaign that saw people burnt alive as buses, trains and other vehciles were set ablaze coupled with insurmountable loss on the economy inflicted by highly anti-democratic movement like blockade imposed by the combine.