Amid heated discussions in the political arena over the idea of the resignation of Chief Advisor Professor Muhammad Yunus, Jamaat-e-Islami Amir Shafiqur Rahman and Nayeb-e-Amir Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher met with Army Chief General Waqar-uz-Zaman. The meeting took place last Saturday night. Earlier, the two top leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami met with Professor Muhammad Yunus at the state guest house Jamuna.
It is learnt that after leaving Jamuna, they went to Dhaka Cantonment and met the Army Chief. Jamaat leader Abdullah Mohammad Taher confirmed the meeting with the Army Chief. He said that the meeting took place due to the interest of the Jamaat leaders.
When asked why he suddenly met with the army chief, Abdullah Mohammad Taher told Prothom Alo, "This is not a meeting, it is a courtesy call. There were some informal conversations."
When asked what the discussions were about, the Jamaat leader said, "We want a fair election. To that end, Jamaat has made various efforts to ensure that there is a coordination and understanding between the government and the army in the current situation." Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher mentioned that this meeting with the army chief is one such initiative.
BNP has been demanding national elections by December. In a meeting of army officers last week, Army Chief General Waqar-uz-Zaman expressed his opinion that elections should be held by December. Then, discussions spread that Chief Advisor Professor Muhammad Yunus could resign. Last Thursday afternoon, after the regular meeting of the Advisory Council, Professor Muhammad Yunus spoke to other advisors about the overall situation in the country in an unscheduled discussion. There, he expressed anger and disappointment at the prevailing situation in the country. He also said that if he cannot work properly, what is the use of being the Chief Advisor? Later that evening, Jatiya Nagorik Party convener Nahid Islam met him and told a media outlet that Professor Muhammad Yunus is 'thinking about resigning'.
This led to extensive discussions in the political arena. In this situation, the chief advisor held a meeting with the leaders of BNP, Jatiya Nagorik Party and Jamaat-e-Islami on Saturday. After the meeting, the Jamaat-e-Islami leaders went to meet the army chief. According to relevant sources, the Jamaat leaders held this meeting as an initiative to reduce the distance between the government and the army or the army chief in the emerging situation.
However, it is reported that the army chief held a meeting with leaders of another important party before the Jamaat leaders. However, this could not be confirmed by any party.
