Jamaat-e-Islami lawmaker and party Nayebe Ameer ATM Azharul Islam questioned how the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), founded in 1978, could claim to be a Liberation War party. Speaking in Parliament during the discussion on the motion of thanks for the President’s address, he argued that the Liberation War took place in 1971, seven years before the BNP’s formation, and therefore the party’s claim was inconsistent. He added that while BNP has freedom fighters, Jamaat-e-Islami also has members who fought in the war.

Azharul Islam reflected on his own past as a death-row convict and linked his release to the July uprising of 2024, which he described as a movement for change rather than merely a power shift. He credited the uprising with leading to a referendum supported by 70 percent of voters. He also praised former presidents Ziaur Rahman and Khaleda Zia for their roles in establishing democracy and unity politics in Bangladesh.

Azhar criticized the current President as a collaborator of the Awami League, which he labeled fascist, and questioned how BNP could support such a figure. He further alleged that BNP nominated a local Awami League leader for a reserved women’s seat, suggesting it reflected weakness or an attempt to appease certain powers.