AWAMI LEAGUE SIGNS ELECTORAL PACT WITH ISLAMIC

C O N F I D E N T I A L DHAKA 006844

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/28/2016
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KDEM BG
SUBJECT: AWAMI LEAGUE SIGNS ELECTORAL PACT WITH ISLAMIC
PARTY

Classified By: Ambassador Patricia A. Butenis; Reason 1.4(d)


1. (SBU) News on December 24 that the Awami League (AL) would
contest the elections was overshadowed by reports the AL had
entered into an election pact with an Islamic party. The
press reported that AL General Secretary Abdul Jalil had
signed a memorandum of understanding with the
Khelafat-e-Majlish, a splinter faction of the Islami Oikya
Jote (IOJ),a member of the BNP's Four-Party Alliance. Awami
League officials later confirmed the press reports.


2. (SBU) Several smaller Islamic parties are already
participating in an alliance with the AL. The concessions it
made to bring Khelafat-e-Majlish on board, however, and the
publicity surrounding the agreement, are unprecedented for
the Awami League. The agreement stipulates the following if
the AL-led alliance is elected:

A) No law will be enacted that contradicts Koranic values and
sharia.

B) Steps will be taken to ensure government recognition of
certifications and degrees from kwami madrassahs.

C) Laws will be enacted acknowledging Mohammad as the last
and greatest prophet.

D) Laws will be enacted criminalizing criticism of the
"prophets and their associates."

E) Certified Islamic leaders will be permitted to issue
fatwas.


3. (SBU) Initially, several AL leaders denied the agreement.
Presidium member Suranjit Sengupta claimed the story was
"baseless" and a "hoax." Organizing Secretary Aktaruzzaman
told us that it was not possible, and offered to call Abdul
Jalil to verify the story was false. In the press, anonymous
"disgruntled" AL leaders attributed the decision to a small
clique of advisors around Sheikh Hasina, including AL
Presidium members Kazi Zafarullah and Sheikh Fazlul Karim
Selim, and businessman Salman Rahman.


4. (C) Later in the day, once Jalil had confirmed the story
in the press, several of the AL's partners declared that the
memorandum of understanding was "inconsistent" with the Grand
Alliance's common platform. Liberal Democratic Party Joint
Secretary General Firoz Hassan said that the pact, which he

SIPDIS
said they received no prior notice of, was prompting the
party to rethink its participation in the AL's "Grand
Alliance." Business and civil leaders have also criticized
the agreement, while some editorials claim the agreement
marks the end of the Awami League as the party of secularism.


5. (C) Comment: The Awami League has long castigated the BNP
for its willingness to include "militants" from the IOJ in
its coalition. Nonetheless, with the elections on the line,
the AL's leadership has shown it is ready to go to almost any
length to secure a winning coalition.
BUTENIS