Jamaat Ameer Questions President’s Account of August 5 Events

The Ameer of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Shafiqur Rahman, has questioned the accuracy of President Mohammed Shahabuddin’s account of the events of August 5, 2024, as described in a recent newspaper interview.

In the interview with a national daily, the President spoke about discussions with political leaders prior to the formation of the interim government and mentioned pressure regarding the declaration of a state of emergency.

Reacting to the remarks, Shafiqur Rahman, in a post on his verified Facebook page on Tuesday, alleged that the President had withheld important details about the events of August 5, 2024. He claimed that the President did not acknowledge in his recent comments what he had told political leaders present at the time regarding the resignation of the then “fallen and fugitive” prime minister, nor what he had subsequently informed the nation.

“Regarding August 5, 2024, the President has concealed many things,” Rahman wrote. “What he told the leaders present about the resignation of the ousted prime minister and what he later told the nation — he has not acknowledged those in his current statement. And what he is saying now, he did not say on that day.”

Terming the President’s remarks unacceptable, the Jamaat chief further stated, “Will the President reconcile what millions of people heard on that day (August 5) with what he is saying now? The nation is not naive. Such conduct from the highest office of the state is unacceptable.”

The President has not yet publicly responded to the allegations.