Bangladesh: Information on the Krishak Sramik Janata League (KSJL), including structure and membership; treatment of members of the KSJL by Awami League members and by authorities (2014-August 2016)

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. Overview

Sources indicate that the Krishak Sramik Janata League (KSJL) was formed in 1999 by Kader Siddique, a former Awami League member of parliament (New Age 13 Sept. 2015; Professor 16 Aug. 2016). In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a professor of South Asia studies at the University of Oslo who specilizes in political culture in South Asia, particularly in Bangladesh and India, indicated that

after the war [for independence of 1971,] [Abdul Kader Siddique] was elected to parliament, on an Awami League ticket. However, he left the party while it was still in power. … [H]e maintained contacts in the Awami League, in particular the wing that retained loyalty to the Bakshal idea and lead by Abdur Razzak. After his return to Bangladesh with the return of democracy, Kader Siddique was given posts in the Tangail district Awami League. Later he split away and formed his own party - the KSJL … which echoes Bangladesh Krishak Shramik Awami League. (ibid.)

Sources state that the KSJL won "1 out of of 300 parliamentary seats" in the 2001 election (ibid.; New Age 13 Sept. 2015). Sources indicate that the KSJL is not part of the 20 Party Alliance led by the Bangladesh National Party (BNP), or the 14 Party Coalition [or Alliance] led by the Awami League (bdnews24.com 26 July 2016; UNB 11 June 2016). However, media reports note that KSJL leaders attended the annual iftars [1] hosted by the Chairperson of the BNP alongside guests from other political parties (bdnews24.com 12 June 2016; Daily Sun 21 June 2015; UNB 2 July 2014), in 2014 (ibid.), 2015 (Daily Sun 21 June 2015), and 2016 (bdnews24.com 12 June 2016).

In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a PhD candidate at the University of Ottawa's School of International Development and Global Studies who has several years of experience conducting research on Bangladesh, and who interviewed a representative of the KSJL while collecting information for this Response, listed, without providing further details, the following as the "[m]ain acitivities of the party at present":

•Constructive criticism of the government;

•Peaceful demonstration against the government;

•Writing op-eds in national dailies (by the party leaders);

•Attending television talks on national issues;

•Active participation in social media. (PhD Candidate 29 Aug. 2016)

Further and corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

2. Leadership

Leaders of the KSJL identified by sources include:

•Abdul Kader Siddique, president (UNB 3 Aug. 2016);

•Habibur Rahman Talukder, general secretary (UNB 11 June 2016; New Age 1 Dec. 2015);

•Iqbal Siddiquee, joint general secretary (ibid. 19 Feb. 2015);

•Shafiqul Islam Delwar, organising secretary (UNB 11 June 2016; New Age 8 Feb. 2015)

•Nasrin Siddique, central leader and wife of Kader Siddique (ibid. 1 Dec. 2015);

•Kawsar Zaman Khan, central leader (ibid. 18 Aug. 2016); and

•Farid Ahmed, central leader (ibid. 19 Feb. 2015).

According to the Professor,

[w]hen the party was formed[,] one or two promising leaders jumped over from the Awami League, including Kader Siddique's two brothers Azad Siddique and Murad Siddique… Later[,] Murad Siddique returned to Awami League again (Professor 16 Aug. 2016).

Without providing further details, the PhD candidate stated that KSJL "is mainly run by the central committee" and it "has a youth wing and a student wing" (PhD Candidate 29 Aug. 2016). Further and corroborating information could not be found among sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

3. Structure and Membership

According to the Professor, the KSJL:

does not have an organisation similar to major political parties with local branches everywhere and at different levels. It may have a constitution as this is required by law, but the party is basically a self-recruiting political club around Kader Siddique in Tangail…Over the years the party dwindled and is today essentially a one-man party with Kader Siddique at the centre. The party's main support base is in Tangail where Kader Siddique's extended family is very influential. (16 Aug. 2016)

The PhD candidate further stated that "[f]orm fill-up is not mandatory to [become] a member. But the party members make financial contribution to the party regularly" (PhD Candidate 29 Aug. 2016). Further and corroborating information on membership numbers could not be found among sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

4. Treatment of KSJL Members by Awami Members

According to the Professor,

[t]he Awami League does not consider the KSJL a significant threat. As Kader Siddique was once a hero of the war of independence, he is still treated with some respect. Local party activists may be subject to maltreatment by Awami Leaguers in some limited scale and no more than members of other opposition parties or indeed members of rival factions within the Awami League. (Professor 16 Aug. 2016)

The PhD Candidate indicated that during the first few years following KSJL's formation,

the party members experienced very hostile attitude from AL [Awami League] leadership. Their inaugural public demonstration was vandalised by AL activists. However, the situation is not like that anymore after 16 years (PhD Candidate 29 Aug. 2016).

The same source further explained that,

[m]ost of the leaders and members of the [KSJL] party are former members of Awami League. As a result, they are socially connected with the AL leadership. AL leaders and activists are not hostile to their [KSJL] counterparts. However, KSJL members feel that they are often ignored by the AL leadership. For example, they are not considered as a stakeholder in political dialogues (ibid.).

Further and corroborating information could not be found among sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

5. Treatment of KSJL Members by authorities

Media sources report that on 13 October 2015, the Bangladeshi Election Commission dismissed the nominations of KSJL president and his wife for the Tangail-4 by-election to be held on 10 November 2015 because they had defaulted on loan repayments to state-run Agrani Bank (UNB 19 Oct. 2015; bdnews24.com 21 Oct. 2015; Dhaka Tribune 2 Nov. 2015). On 25 February 2016, Daily Sun, a Dhaka-based newspaper, reported that Kader Siddique and his wife "filed a leave-to-appeal with the Supreme Court against a High Court order rejecting his pleas for participating in the … by-election" (Daily Sun 25 Feb. 2016) Additional information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. The Professor gave the view that

Kader Siddique's desire to stand election came up when his brother, the Awami League minister Latif Siddique, was dismissed after allegations of blasphemy. But Kader's influence was not sufficient and the government decided to let the law run its course. That the administration and police is being used to harass individuals is common knowledge and has always been the case in Bangladesh, including the times when BNP was in power. … There may be reason to argue that the government has become more authoritarian since the 2014 election. But there is little reason to believe that Kader Siddique's outfit has been particularly targeted. (Professor 16 Aug. 2016)

Further and corroborating information could not be found among sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Note

[1] The Oxford Dictionary of Islam defines "iftar" as "[t]he breaking of the fast every evening after sunset during Ramadan. Also, the breaking of the fast of Ramadan on the first sighting of the new moon on the evening of Id al-Fitr" (2003).

References

bdnews24.com. 26 July 2016. Sumon Mahmud. "BNP Tries to Forge Alliance Against Militancy Leaving Islamist Jamaat Aside Under Pressure." [Accessed 3 Aug. 2016]

bdnews24.com. 12 June 2016. "Bidisha Siddique Joins BNP Chief Khaleda's Iftar Party for Politicians." [Accessed 23 Aug. 2016]

bdnews24.com. 21 October 2015. "High Court Tells Election Commission to Accept Kader Siddique's Nomination." [Accessed 23 Aug. 2016]

Daily Sun. 25 February 2016. "Kader Siddique Files Leave-to-appeal." [Accessed 3 Aug. 2016]

Daily Sun. 21 June 2015. "Khaleda Hosts Iftar for Politicians." [Accessed 22 Aug. 2016]

Dhaka Tribune. 2 November 2015. Ashif Islam Shaon. "SC Stays Tangail By-poll till Jan 31." [Accessed 23 Aug. 2016]

New Age. 18 August 2016. "Kader Siddique Demands Maya's Resignation." [Accessed 23 Aug. 2016]

New Age. 1 December 2015. "KSJL Wants Dialogue to Resolve Political Crisis." [Accessed 3 Aug. 2016]

New Age. 13 September 2015. "KSJL to Vie for Tangail By-election." [Accessed 3 Aug. 2016]

New Age. 19 February 2015. "Kader Siddique Continues Sit-in." [Accessed 23 Aug. 2016]

New Age. 8 February 2015. "Politicians Call for Dialogue." [Accessed 3 Aug. 2016]

The Oxford Dictionary of Islam. 2003. "Iftar." Edited by John L. Esposito. Oxford University Press.

PhD Candidate, School of International Development and Global Studies, Univeristy of Ottawa. 29 August 2016. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.

Professor, South Asian Studies, University of Oslo. 16 August 2016. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.

United News Bangladesh (UNB). 3 August 2016. "Jamaat a Liability: Prof Emajuddin." [Accessed 22 Aug. 2016]

United News Bangladesh (UNB). 11 June 2016. "Khaleda Hosts Iftar for Politicians." [Accessed 3 Aug. 2016]

United News Bangladesh (UNB). 19 October 2015. "I'm Made Loan Defaulter with Tricks: Kader Siddique." [Accessed 3 Aug. 2016]

United News Bangladesh (UNB). 2 July 2014. "Khaleda Hosts Iftar for Politicians." [Accessed 22 Aug. 2016]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral Sources: Krishak Sramik Janata League; PhD Candidate at Deparment of Political Science, Dalhousie University.

Publications: Historical Dictionary of Bangladesh; Human Rights Quarterly; Current History; Political Handbook of the World.

Internet sites, including: Al Jazeera; Asian Human Rights Commission; Bangladesh - Department of Public Libraries, Election Commission, Law and Justice Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Public Administration, Office of the President, Parliament, Prime Minister's Office, Supreme Court; BBC; Centre for Policy Dialogue; Chr. Michelsen Institute; The Daily Ittefaq; The Daily Naya Diganta; The Daily Observer; The Daily Star; Deutsche Welle; ecoi.net; The Economist; Factiva; Freedom House; The Financial Express; The Good Morning; Human Rights Watch; The Independent; International Crisis Group; Inter-Parliamentary Union; The Irrawaddy; Jane's Intelligence Review; Just Earth News; Kaler Kantho; Last News BD; The New Nation; News Today; Norway - The Research Council; Prothom Alo; Reuters; South Asian Free Media Association; United Nations - Refworld, ReliefWeb; United States - Central Intelligence Agency, Department of State, Library of Congress.