The five Islamic parties along with Hifazat – Islami Oikya Jote, Khilafat Movement, Bangladesh Khilafat Majlis, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam and Khilafat Majlis – were all previously in the BNP coalition. Due to various pressures, none of them is now in the BNP camp. However, two factions namely Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam and Islami Oikya Jot, which have no registration, remain with the BNP.
Talking to Prothom Alo, the General Secretary of Khilafat Majlis and former Naib-e-Ameer of Hefazat-e-Islami, Ameer Ahmad Abdul Kader said that the leaders of the Islamic Party have been in the Hefazat committees before. Later the committees were disbanded by the invisible hand of the government quarters. New committees were formed with the support of the government. Those committees are also under pressure. Other Islamic parties are also facing pressure.
Hifazat-e-Islami came out in 2010 with opposition to the women’s policy. Hifazat was initially headed by Ahmad Shafi, the then director general of the Hathazari madrassa. It rose to prominence in 2013.
According to concerned circles, a decade after its inception, Hefazat is now in the pocket of the government. Most of the Islamic parties are also in a similar situation. It is learned that Hifazat and many Islamic parties have good relations with the government regarding the upcoming elections.
Islamic affairs writer and researcher Sharif Muhammad said that Hefazat and Islamic parties have not been able to live up to their strength and promise. The leaders of the organizations may blame the situation on the cases, arrests and control strategy of the government, but it is difficult to deny the existing weaknesses in the leadership of the Hefazat and Islamist parties.