Jamaat-e-Islami on Thursday protested the statement of Election Commissioner Md Shahnewaz that the registration of the party has become illegal following the High Court verdict.
Acting secretary general of Jamaat-e-Islami Maulana Rafiqul Islam Khan termed the statement of the Election Commissioner totally unconstitutional, illogical and politically motivated. “The statement made by the Election Commissioner cannot be the statement of the Election Commission. The statement made it clear that their main objective is to undermine Jamaat politically not legally,” he said in a statement.
The Jamaat leader urged the Election Commissioner to refrain from making such “misleading” statement.
He said the declaration of the party registration illegal by the concerned Bench provided an opportunity to file appeal with the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court meaning that finally the matter will be decided by the Supreme Court. So, the High Court judgment is not final, he argued.
There is no way that Jamaat’s registration can be made illegal before settlement of the issue in the Supreme Court, he claimed.
“The statement of Election Commissioner reflected the vengeance politics of the ruling Awami League. The EC through its statement has made it clear that Awami League wants to hold the election keeping Jamaat outside,” Khan said.
The Jamaat leader also questioned the jurisdiction of the concerned to release a notice on EC website stating that Jamaat’s registration is illegal in accordance with High Court verdict.
He claimed that in accordance with Article 38 of the constitution, Jamaat is a constitutional and democratic political party.
“Jamaat does politics following the country’s constitution, law of the land and democratic norms.
Each of its programmes is pro-democratic. Jamaat doesn’t believe in carrying out any unconstitutional and undemocratic activities,” he said.
Khan said the EC that provided registration to the party did not serve any showcause notice on its registration. Rather it followed the directions of the EC whenever it drew the attention on any matter regarding the party charter. The procedure of Jamaat’s registration is an ongoing process, he added.
-With The Independent input
