Bangladesh
Hefazat-e-Islam Hefazat-e-Islam to leave out extremists and reorganise
Dhaka, April 22: Hefazat leaders want to reorganize the organization by eliminating the extremists and form it anew. There will be no political leaders in the organization and work in coordination with the government. The outfit's top leaders outside the jail have given such assurance in a meeting with the government's law enforcement agencies.
Hefazat leaders recently met with the Home Minister and the Special Branch of the Police (SB) to reach a compromise and state their position. Relevant sources said that the leaders gave such assurances there.
Hefazat leaders at the meeting claimed that they also had some strategic mistakes in the anti-Modi movement, sabotage incidents in different places including Brahmanbaria and Sonargaon. However, the instigators of sabotage are not in custody.
Hefazat-e-Islam emerged as a non-political organization in 2010. However, after the death of Allama Shah Ahmad Shafi, the Amir of Hifazat, they formed a political organization. Leaders of different political parties are in the central and Dhaka metropolitan committees of Hefazat and they are running the movement politically.
Hefazat leaders said in a meeting with members of the law enforcement agencies that they had called for reform of Hefazat. They have asked to remove the personalities of political organizations from all the committees of Hefazat and give them new committees. Besides, he said that the activities of Qawmi Madrasa will be conducted as per the decision of Al-Hayatul Ulaya Lil Jamiatil Qawmia Bangladesh Board. Hefazat has asked to ensure that Qawmi Madrasa cannot take any decision.
Sources said that the present committee of Hefazat could be dissolved at any time. Meanwhile, the custody committee has started looking for a worthy successor to Allama Shafi.
Meanwhile, Hefazat leaders, under pressure after the arrest of several supporters, including the top 12 leaders, met with the home minister on Monday (April 19) night to avoid arrest.
At the meeting, they requested that senior leaders not be arrested. But the home minister told them the police were arresting the accused, not anyone innocent.
Law enforcement sources said they had arrested about 450 people for the recent vandalism. A list of political leaders who have tried to overthrow the government has also been compiled. They will be brought under the law very soon.
