Bangladesh arrests senior leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami party

Monitoring Desk

DHAKA: Bangladesh police arrested senior leadership of Jamaat-e-Islami the country’s largest Islamist party on Monday night as the government appeared to started a crackdown on the opposition parties.

Dhaka Police Deputy Commissioner, Shaikh Nazmul Alam told that nine people were arrested after a raid on a house in Dhaka’s northern neighborhood of Uttara, including Maqbul Ahmed, Shafiqur Rahman and former member of parliament Golam Parwar.

He added that police received information that they were holding a meeting at a secret place and planning against the state and adding that police have found some papers from the place and we are investigating the papers.

Jamaat-e-Islami spokesperson condemned the arrest of party senior leadership and adding that they were attending a social gathering, we are a democratic party and we stands for democratic norms. Spokesman added that they are not involved in any kind of violence or against the democratic process in the country.

Maqbul Ahmed, 79, was elected as the head of the party last October, months after the execution of previous leader Motiur Rahman Nizami for war crimes related to the 1971 war of independence against Pakistan.

The government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also set up a controversial war crimes tribunal in 2010, which convicted and sentenced to death top Jamaat leadership, triggering nationwide violent protests that left hundreds dead. Five of the key leaders including Nizami were later hanged.