Bangladesh Labour Party chairman Dr. Mostafizur Rahman Iran has sent an open letter to BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, expressing concern over a reported BNP position to politically eliminate Jamaat-e-Islami. The letter, released to the media on Sunday, followed a newspaper report quoting Mirza Fakhrul as saying that Jamaat should be politically eradicated.

In his letter, Dr. Iran urged Mirza Fakhrul to abandon the politics of elimination in the new Bangladesh that emerged after the July uprising. He recalled that former President Ziaur Rahman had restored the right of all political parties, including the Labour Party, to operate after the BAKSAL era. Dr. Iran also reminded that BNP founder Khaleda Zia had previously formed governments with Jamaat’s support in 1991 and 2001.

The Labour Party chairman cautioned that following a path of political exclusion would mirror the authoritarian tendencies of the Awami League. He called on BNP to uphold democratic unity and work with all anti-fascist forces, including Jamaat, to implement the people’s mandate and avoid division.