[Dhaka Tribune] Despite claims of harassment of its supporters in the ongoing local government elections, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami... a Pakistani catspaw remaining active in Bangla politix, loosely affiliated with the Pak religious party of the same name and closely affiliated with most of the terror organizations in Bangla. A member of the BNP's four party governing coalition....
leaders and activists have been busy campaigning for party-backed aspirants across the country.
Candidates supported by Jamaat, meanwhile, won 28 out of 294 chairmen posts in the last three phases of the upazila parishad polls. However,
the hip bone's connected to the leg bone...
the Islamist party-backed candidates contested for chairman posts in 81 upazials.
On the eve of the fourth round of polls yesterday, Jasim Uddin, a pro-Jamaat contender from Satkania in Chittagong, told the Dhaka Tribune: "Our activists have been campaigning in Satkania and I am hopeful of winning."
He added that they did not face any untoward situation while canvassing.
AKM Najem Osmani, a Jamaat-backed candidate from Feni's Sonagazi upazila, also said his supporters did not encounter any problems. He, however, expressed doubts about the overall situation on voting day.
Since the Election Commission announced the local polls schedule on January 20, Jamaat-e-Islami
...
The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka
The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an
independentbranch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores...
has been making statements to the contrary, claiming repression on its supporters and campaign activities by law enforcers and government supporters.
In a press statement yesterday, the party's acting secretary general Shafiqur Rahman alleged that activists of the ruling Awami League were threatening locals not to vote for candidates other than AL-backed ones. At least 20 pro-Jamaat aspirants are running in the fourth phase today.
Shafiqur also claimed that the police have tossed in the clink
Please don't kill me!
several party activists, including two in Chuadanga and four in Chittagong's Lohagara, ahead of the polls.
Meantime, Jamaat-backed candidates won 12 chairmen posts in the first phase, and eight each in the second and third phases.