The Jamaat-e-Islami yesterday seemed to soften its anti-government stance in the face of strong opposition from people, especially youths, who expressed resentment at its leader Abdul Quader Mollah being awarded life term instead of capital punishment.
On Monday, the day before the delivery of the verdict, Jamaat leaders issued threats of civil war and said they would enforce non-stop hartals if anything went against Quader Mollah. The party last night announced two-day protest programmes instead.
Under the programme, Jamaat will hold rallies across the country today, demanding arrest of people involved in “killing” six activists of the party and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir in Chittagong and Bogra during its last three hartals — January 31, February 5 and 6.
It will also observe Doa Dibosh (prayers day) tomorrow.
The party leaders have two other reasons to change their stance — one, the International Crimes Tribunal-2 handed down life term instead of death penalty to the convicted Jamaat assistant secretary general, Quader Mollah, and another, they got “zero support” from the BNP, Jamaat’s main ally in the 18-party opposition, for yesterday’s hartal.
The main opposition did not support Jamaat’s demand for scrapping ICTs and release of its leaders facing war crimes charges, a number of Jamaat leaders told The Daily Star.
Some party leaders met BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia a few days back and sought her support but she did not make any response, a leader of Jamaat’s Chittagong (South) unit told The Daily Star yesterday.
“We are very much disappointed with the BNP chairperson as her party did not extend support to our latest movement against ICTs and ‘motivated’ trial of our leaders,” he said, wishing not to be named.
Requesting for anonymity, another district Jamaat leader said they had not realised that general people could make such sharp reaction to the verdict against Quader Mollah.
But another Jamaat leader said, “We are not worried about a group of people’s movement at Shahbagh [in the capital].
“We can handle this type of movement in moments but we are yet to get such an instruction.”
Amid Jamaat’s countrywide hartal on Tuesday and threats of anarchy, the ICT-2 sentenced Quader Mollah to life in prison for his crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War.
Following the verdict, people from all walks of life especially youths erupted into anger and frustration in the capital. Hundreds of enraged students, activists and ordinary citizens blocked Shahbagh intersection that evening.
Earlier on February 4, Jamaat called a countrywide dawn-to-dusk hartal for the following day that had been fixed by the ICT-2 to deliver the verdict in the war crimes case against Quader Mollah.
The party enforced another hartal yesterday, protesting the verdict.http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=268218
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