An anti-war criminal forum yesterday claimed that the government’s acceptance of a Tk3 crore donation from Islami Bank Bangladesh Ltd, a pro Jamaat-e-Islami banking institution, during fundraiser for a new Guinness world record on March 26 is ‘contradictory’ with the prime minister’s statements against Jamaat and its allied institutions.
In a statement released yesterday, Forum for Secular Bangladesh and Trial of War Criminals of 1971 condemned the government’s move to collect donations from the Islami Bank.
The donation was accepted during a fundraiser of the government for “Sonar Bangla in Million Voices,” an attempt to set a new world record on the most number of people sing the national anthem together on the country’s Independence Day.
Appreciating governments initiative for organising ‘Sonar Bangla in Million Voices’ programme, the statement also added: “We understands that the government needs financial support from both the public and private organisations for hosting the programme, but the move to collect money from the commercial organisation by the anti-liberation force Jamaat-e-Islami has surprised and shocked us.”
The statement was signed by the forum’s President Mohammad Golam Rabbani, Executive President Shahriar Kabir, Vice President Muntasir Mamun, general secretary Kazi Mukul, and Shyamoli Nasrin Chowdhury, Ferdousi Priyobhashini, filmmaker Shamim Akhter.
“We has been demanding government to seize of all commercial organisation belonging to Jamaat-e-Islami and its assets for a long time, which the government has not implemented. Rather, it has accepted donations from its allied institution Islami Bank, which we condemn.”
With the statement, the platform has demanded a ban on Jamaat-e-Islami’s politics, seize of all of its commercial organisation and assets.
It also urged the government to return the money to Islami Bank and not to collect any donation from the anti liberation force or its allies in future.