Khelafat Majlis has formally withdrawn from the Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party alliance, saying the coalition has fulfilled its purpose following the conclusion of the national election.
The decision was taken at the party’s third general session of its Central Majlis-e-Shura on Saturday morning at the Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh (IDEB) auditorium in Dhaka. The party’s Publicity Secretary, Engineer Abdul Hafiz Khasru, announced the decision in a statement.
Khelafat Majlis said it would no longer take part in programmes organised under the banner of the 11-party alliance.
“The 11-party alliance was essentially an electoral understanding. As the election has already been concluded, the alliance has effectively served its purpose,” the statement said.
The party said it had participated in several alliance programmes after the election but had now decided to withdraw from all future activities under the coalition.
It also said it remained open to joining a broader political alliance in the future if such a platform was considered necessary in the interests of the country, the nation and Islam.
The meeting was chaired by Khelafat Majlis Ameer Maulana Abdul Basit Azad and conducted by Secretary General Dr Ahmad Abdul Quader. It was attended by senior leaders including Naib-e-Ameer Maulana Sakhawat Hossain, Maulana Ahmad Ali Qasemi, Professor Abdullah Farid, Professor Sirajul Haque, Maulana Syed Ferdous Bin Ishaq and Mufti Abdul Hamid.
Joint Secretaries General Advocate Jahangir Hossain, Muhammad Muntasir Ali, ABM Sirajul Mamun, Dr Mostafizur Rahman Faisal and Professor Md Abdul Jalil also attended. Organising Secretary Advocate Mizanur Rahman, Mufti Abul Hasan MP and members of the party’s Central Executive Council and Central Majlis-e-Shura were also present.
According to party sources, Khelafat Majlis had already begun distancing itself from the alliance after holding a divisional rally in Chattogram on 13 June. It subsequently asked the coalition not to use the party’s name or the names of its leaders on banners or promotional materials for future programmes.
The party’s name was later included in promotional material for an alliance rally in Rangpur. Khelafat Majlis objected, prompting organisers to remove the reference.
Since then, the alliance has not used the name of Khelafat Majlis in any of its programmes, according to party sources.
