Habibur Rahman Habib, adviser to the BNP chairperson, has dismissed any possibility of the Jamaat-e-Islami ever gaining state power in Bangladesh, even after “a hundred years of effort.”
Speaking at a roundtable meeting titled "July Declaration and Announcement of National Election Date: Our Expectation is Free, Fair, and Neutral Elections" at the National Press Club, organized by the Bangladesh Crime Reporters Council (BCRC), Habib said the Jamaat-e-Islami is upset over the trial of 1971 war criminals.
"They claim that they will not allow the elections without a July charter and trial [over July killings]. They say they will stop the elections. But the Jamaat-e-Islami will not be able to stop the elections, no matter how hard they try.
"No matter which party they join, including Charmonai, their dream will turn into a nightmare. Even after a century of effort, the Jamaat-e-Islami will never come to power."
He continued: "If the Jamaat-e-Islami tries to stop the election, the people of Bangladesh will send them back to Pakistan. I call on the students to ensure that no Pakistani collaborator has any place at Dhaka University."
