Dhaka: Disowning Emajuddin Ahmed's remark that BNP has reached a decision to ditch Jamaat from the 20-party alliance, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Wednesday said it is his personal opinion.

‘His (Emajuddin's) comment involving Jamaat and BNP is his personal. He's already clarified it,’ the BNP leader told a press briefing at the party's central office in Dhaka, reports UNB.

At a discussion on Tuesday, pro-BNP intellectual Emajuddin Ahmed, ex-VC of Dhaka University, said ‘Begum Khaleda Zia’s party and she herself have decided that there’s no need for keeping that party (Jamaat) in that way in the 20-party as it was. It (Jamaat) has now become a liability.’

Fkahrul said their chairperson Khaleda Zia has called for forging a national unity to fight against militancy as per her national duty. ‘We're in discussions with political parties over the matter. If our process turns successful, we'll inform you about it.’

Asked whether he thinks Jamaat is the main barrier to forging the unity with other parties, Fakhrul parried the question, saying it is only speculation and journalists’ guess. ‘We’ve called for the national unity on the basis of the country's current reality and we're working on it in the same manner.’

The BNP leader alleged that the government is mocking with their chairperson's national unity call as it is not sincere about eliminating militancy.

He also alleged that the government is now arresting BNP leaders and activists in the name of curbing militancy. ‘They earlier arrested 16,000 people. After the incidents in Gulshan, Sholakia and Kalyanpur, they’ve again started arresting our leaders and activists.’

Fakhrul said people are in doubt about the government's efforts to eliminate militancy as most of the suspected militants are being killed in incidents of crossfire without extracting information from them after their arrest.