[Bangla Daily Star] Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed was re-elected the secretary general of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami yesterday while the party's six assistant secretary generals and three nayeb-e-ameers were also re-elected. Two nayeb-e-ameers and one assistant secretary general were however elected for the first time.
Majlish-e-Sura, the highest policymaking body of the party, elected the top officials in a daylong meeting held in its central office in Moghbazar of the capital.
Last month, 25,000 members of the party had re-elected Motiur Rahman Nizami their ameer or the chief through a direct election, who yesterday took the oath of office in front of the Majlish-e-Sura.
Jamaat Publicity Secretary Tasnim Alam told The Daily Star that the meetings of Majlish-e-Sura are equivalent to the national councils of other political parties.
Addressing 232 Sura members, re-elected Jamaat chief Nizami yesterday alleged that the Awami League government's initiative to try war criminals is a part of its design to rout out Islam from the country.
The chief of the Islamist party, that had opposed the country's birth and its liberation war, however said his party is 'determined to safeguard the country's independence and sovereignty', which according to him are endangered now.
Nizami, who was a minister during the last BNP-Jamaat-led four-party alliance regime, said the incumbent government's initiative to wipeout Islam from the country's education policy, scrapping of the fifth amendment to the constitution, and its efforts to reinstate the 1972 constitution are parts of its conspiracy against Islam.
About the proposed trials of war criminals, Nizami said, "The government is engaged in a conspiracy to destroy Islamist forces through its fresh initiative to try war criminals, which is an already settled issue."
"The present government also wants to rout out religion from the country through reinstating the 1972 constitution," he alleged.
The day long meeting of Majlish-e-Sura presided by Nizami also discussed the party's strategy for the coming days.
The three re-elected nayeb-e-ameers are Abul Kalam Muhammad Yousuf, Maqbul Ahmad, and AKM Nazir Ahmad while Muhammad Abdus Subhan, and Delwar Hossain Saydee were elected to the post for the first time, according to a media release.
The re-elected assistant secretaries general are Muhammad Kamaruzzaman, Abdul Quader Molla, ATM Azharul Islam, Mohammad Abu Taher, Mujibur Rahman, and Barrister Abdur Razzaq, while Shafiqur Rahman was elected to the post for the first time.
The Majlish-e-Sura also elected 52 members of the central working committee and 15 members of the executive committee.