Unease at NCP over Hasnat, Sarjis’s posts

A sense of unease prevails within the National Citizen Party (NCP) over the differing statements coming from its leaders regarding a meeting with the army chief on March 11.

The disclosure of such "confidential" matters on social media without prior discussion at party forum has irked many leaders, while some view the Facebook posts as attempts to gain "personal popularity", said insiders.

In a Facebook post early Friday, NCP leader Hasnat Abdullah alleged a conspiracy was afoot to bring the Awami League back into politics at the behest of India. A proposal for accommodating a "refined" AL was pitched to them at a meeting in the cantonment.

Hasnat's remarks touched off an intense political debate and also demonstrations for a ban on the AL.

Against this backdrop, NCP Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwary at an event in Sylhet on Saturday said Hasnat's statement should not have appeared on social media, saying it was "inappropriate".

Sarjis Alam, NCP's chief organiser (north), then fuelled the debate further with a statement on Facebook just after noon yesterday.

While reaffirming solidarity with Hasant as a fellow activist, Sarjis warned that publicly disclosing details of such discussion "might create trust issues in future critical dialogues with any stakeholder".

Clarifying that they were not summoned, Sarjis said they went to the cantonment to discuss with army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman whether his National Martyred Army Day speech signalled any concerning developments. In the speech, Gen Waker warned against "mudslinging and fighting".

"Regarding the subject of exerting 'pressure' on a 'refined Awami League', I did not sense that there was any pressure. Instead, the army chief confidently said that if a refined version of the Awami League didn't emerge, it would create long-term issues for the country and political parties," Sarjis said.

"The tone portrayed in Hasnat's post seemed more extreme than the actual conversation, though certainly more straightforward and so-confident than usual. It was clearly stated that the participation of a refined Awami League in elections is essential for national stability.

"I didn't feel the chief was angry; rather, he spoke from the perspective of someone senior, emphasising his long experience compared to us juniors."

He also criticised attempts to endorse any narrative pitting the army chief against Hasnat. "Their positions and contexts are entirely different … Also, statements in some quarters calling for the army chief's resignation do not reflect our position."

Meanwhile, Abdul Hannan Masud, senior joint chief coordinator of NCP, slammed both Hasnat and Sarjis in the comment section of Sarjis's post on Facebook. Their actions were "dragging the NCP into controversy," Hannan wrote.

"What is this, brother!! I'm saying this publicly—one of you is lying. This cannot continue," he added.

At least three NCP leaders told The Daily Star that Hasnat and Sarjis's Facebook posts, along with Hannan's comments, caused discomfort within the party.

Many central committee members have expressed their resentment in the party's internal social media group, criticising the practice of holding meetings with various figures and publicly disclosing those without consulting the NCP leadership.

"Majority of the NCP leaders were unaware of Hasnat and Sarjis's meeting with the army chief. When Hasnat publicly revealed on Facebook that the army had proposed rehabilitating the Awami League, reactions within the party were mixed. While many praised Hasnat for his firm stance against the Awami League, questions arose after Sarjis's post that disclosed further details of the meeting," an NCP leader told The Daily Star.

Requesting anonymity, the leader also said that as a newly formed political party, the NCP would likely have to engage in both formal and informal discussions with various figures in the future.

"However, Hasnat and Sarjis's decision to disclose details of an informal conversation on Facebook may discourage others from engaging in off-the-record discussions with NCP leaders, which could harm the party."

Another senior leader pointed out that many within the NCP were still involved in social media activism, and they were yet to fully embrace the political identity.

"The party forum would soon discuss the issue of leaders making political statements on Facebook and work toward establishing internal discipline on such matters," he said.

The party's Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin denied any "distance or a lack of understanding" among the leaders. "Many students involved in the uprising are transitioning into the political sphere. If any mistakes have occurred in this process, I urge the people to view them with a forgiving attitude," he said at a programme in the capital yesterday.

He also said the party would soon address the matter in a press release.

Sweden-based Netra News early yesterday reported that the army, in response to its query, confirmed the March 11 meeting. The report said the army dismissed Hasnat's claims as "absolutely laughable", calling his post "nothing but a complete political stunt".

Contacted by The Daily Star yesterday, the Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate (ISPR) said that they were not aware of the Army Headquarters comment and Netra News report.