Jamaat-e-Islami lawmaker Shahjahan Chowdhury today claimed in parliament that the party’s former ameer Ghulam Azam was among the first to raise the question of how East Pakistan would achieve autonomy.

Speaking during a discussion in the Jatiya Sangsad, he said, “After the 1970 elections, Ghulam Azam was also the first to call for power to be transferred to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.”

Shajahan, in an oblique reference to BNP MP Fazlur Rahman, said, “I do not feel the need to respond to the points he raised, because the nation has already recognised Jamaat-e-Islami in this election through votes, affirming that we are patriots,” he said.

“Today, the issue of freedom fighters has been raised. Jamaat-e-Islami has already made its position clear on the history of independence. Therefore, it is not right to judge today’s Jamaat-e-Islami in this House by digging up the past and trying to assign blame,” he said.

“When Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was arrested in the Agartala Conspiracy Case, Jamaat-e-Islami, through the Pakistan Democratic Movement, campaigned for his release. Jamaat-e-Islami provided the largest financial support for Sheikh Mujib’s release from the Agartala Conspiracy Case,” he said.