I’ll award you a medal if you can prove that: Jamaat Ameer to Home Minister

Opposition leader and Jamaat-e-Islami ameer Shafiqur Rahman has criticised remarks made by the Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed during a parliamentary discussion on Islami Bank.

Alleging that the minister had indirectly targeted Jamaat-e-Islami, Shafiqur Rahman said, “The allegations he raised were clearly directed at a particular party. He might as well have named Jamaat-e-Islami outright. He said it is sometimes good to remove the veil. He could have removed it here. Why keep the veil on?”

Referring to the home minister’s remarks regarding a Tk 7 billion (700 crore) loan from Islami Bank, Shafiqur Rahman said, “He claimed that someone took a Tk 700 crore loan and that it was used to finance a political party’s election fund. I want to know clearly whether he meant Jamaat by that. If he did, I am taking up the challenge completely. If he can prove it, I will personally award him a medal.”

Shafiqur Rahman made the remarks on Tuesday while taking part in a parliamentary discussion on the current situation at Islami Bank. He was responding to comments made earlier by Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed. The session was chaired by Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad.

The Jamaat chief also rejected the home minister’s comments regarding financing under Islami Bank’s Rural Development Scheme (RDS).

“RDS does not belong to any political party, nor does it belong to any religion,” he said. “He referred to Tk 11,000 crore (110 billion). Who received that money? If I, my colleagues, or our party received even a single taka from it, I would ask the authorities to use a searchlight to investigate and take action against us.”

Continuing his criticism of the minister’s remarks, Shafiqur Rahman said, “The home minister made some very interesting observations. He said that a shareholder is a shareholder, and how someone became a shareholder can be looked into later. Why later? The truth has already been exposed. The whole world knows it. I do not believe that a knowledgeable person like him does not know it.”

Without mentioning S Alam by name, Shafiqur Rahman alleged, “One individual alone took Tk 82,000 crore (820 billion) from this bank in his own name. He acquired an 82 per cent stake in the bank through shares worth only Tk 12,000 crore (120 billion). In other words, he looted all the money from banks.”

Questioning how the shares had changed hands, Shafiqur Rahman said, “The minister mentioned the name of one institution. It would have been better had he named all of them. The shareholders were subjected to immense pressure through a particular agency. They were compelled to transfer their shares.”

He maintained that Islami Bank does not belong to any single political party.

“This bank has customers who support the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), other political parties, and people of different faiths. It is the people’s bank,” he said.

Warning of the consequences of further instability, he added, “If Islami Bank suffers any further damage, I personally believe the economy of Bangladesh will collapse.”

Shafiqur Rahman called for the immediate return of the shares that had allegedly been taken from their owners through coercion.

“The shares should be returned to their rightful owners at the same value and with due respect. After that, the government can form a board and run the bank in accordance with all rules and regulations. We will fully support that,” he said.

Referring to difficulties faced by depositors at several banks, he said, “Many depositors are already struggling to withdraw their money. If a similar situation develops at one of the country’s largest banks, the consequences will be disastrous.”

The Jamaat ameer further alleged: “Sheikh Hasina destroyed the bank. She used S Alam as her instrument. Now we can clearly see that a path is being created for S Alam to return.”

In that context, he levelled allegations against the newly appointed chairman of Islami Bank, saying, “When he served as a deputy governor (of Bangladesh Bank), he was an accomplice to all of S Alam’s activities. As a result, he was rewarded.”