BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia is unwilling to cut ties with the Jamaat-e-Islami

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia is unwilling to cut ties with the Jamaat-e-Islami for its vote banks and influence over some Islamic organisations in and outside the country. Khaleda also fears that the ruling Awami League may join hands with the Jamaat if the BNP deserts the Islamist party, said BNP insiders. The BNP chief values the Jamaat for its financial clout, and dedicated leaders and activists, who can play a key role in waging a vigorous agitation, they said. BNP Senior Vice-chairman Tarique Rahman, elder son of the BNP chief, phoned her mother on Friday night and discussed the Jamaat issue, apart from other party-related matters, according to BNP sources. On condition of anonymity, a Jamaat leader told The Daily Star last night that his party was under pressure for its involvement in recent political violence, and opted to distance itself from the BNP for now as part of a new strategy. A leader of the BNP-led 18-party alliance said a pro-BNP professional body recently floated an idea that the Islamist party could stay with the BNP if it changed its name. “But the Jamaat policymakers didn't take the suggestion positively

Thank you
Asraful