Rizwana Hasan is a 'royal witness' of election engineering: Taher's claim

A new controversy has arisen over the 13th national parliamentary election in Bangladesh. Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami's central Naib Ameer Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher has alleged that former advisor to the interim government Syeda Rizwana Hasan has come forward as a self-proclaimed royal witness in the election 'engineering' and she should be questioned.

He made this demand at an emergency press conference organized at the party's central office in Moghbazar, Dhaka on Thursday (March 5). Taher said that although the February 12 national parliamentary election initially seemed fairly acceptable, allegations of center capture, fake votes and expulsion of opposition party agents were received from various areas after the evening. He claimed that ballot rigging also occurred in many centers in collusion with presiding officers and agents.

He said that based on these allegations, the party has filed formal complaints in at least 53 constituencies and will continue its legal fight on the matter.

Taher also claimed in the press conference that former advisor Syeda Rizwana Hasan made some comments in a statement to a journalist that indicated rigging in the election. That is why Jamaat-e-Islami called him a 'royal witness' and demanded his interrogation.

At that time, he also leveled allegations against another former advisor to the interim government, Khalilur Rahman. Taher claimed that he was the main planner of the so-called 'London conspiracy' and was later given the responsibility of foreign minister as a reward for that work. According to him, although the advisors to the interim government were supposed to be impartial, in reality their role was questionable.

Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar, Assistant Secretary General Rafiqul Islam Khan and other central leaders of the party were also present at the press conference.