BNP-Jamaat govt to give Pak free hand, threaten India’s security: Hasina’s son

Kolkata: Bangladesh ex-PM Sheikh Hasina's son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, on Monday said the upcoming elections in Bangladesh will be "one-sided" and that a govt run by a weak BNP (Bangladesh Nationalist Party) with Jamaat-e-Islami's influence will give Pakistan a free hand, which will threaten the security of India's eastern borders."The international community needs to denounce the election for being unfair, not only because Awami League is banned (from polls) but because all progressive parties are banned. This is not an election, but a show," Joy added.
Speaking at an event in Kolkata hosted by "Khola Hawa" — an organisation headed by BJP senior Swapan Dasgupta — Joy said a plot was afoot to create a weak govt in Bangladesh.He alleged that Khaleda Zia's son, Tarique Rahman, was "convicted based on evidence provided by the FBI." "The agency officials travelled to Bangladesh to testify against him in court. The US had enough evidence to charge him with corruption. It chose not to do that," he added. Joy also questioned Rahman's sudden shift of stance on the referendum which, according to Joy, "will eventually try to take away powers from the prime minister.""The US favours the referendum. It makes a single-party govt almost impossible in Bangladesh. There will always be a coalition, and it will eventually be a weak govt which is easier to control," he said.Alleging that Jamaat was gaining "influence from outside", Joy said, "There is no such thing as a moderate Islamist party. The fact that they are Islamist means they want Sharia. Regardless of whether BNP comes to power or not, Jamaat will have outside influence," he added.Joy said that when Jamaat has a free hand, Pakistan will have a free hand in whatever they want to do in Bangladesh which will have "serious security implications for India's eastern borders." Reiterating Awami League's resolve to keep fighting, Joy said, "Awami League is not going anywhere. Millions of voters will not change their minds. Meanwhile, Bangladesh will have Islamists in govt and minorities will be persecuted."