In a statement, Jamaat's Publicity Secretary Prof M Tasneem Alam said The Daily Star published the false stories to malign the image of Jamaat.

He said Jamaat has no link with any "terrorist organisation or persons".

The statement said Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) chief Abdur Rahman and his father, and Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB) chief Bangla Bhai were never involved with Jamaat or Islami Chhatra Shibir.

The information that 11 persons namely Nasir Uddin, Azizul, Samiul Alam Sizu, Fazlul Haq, Kafiluddin, Kazi Nazrul Islam, Omar Faruk, Abdul Haq, M Abul Hossain, Mujibur and Mutassim Billah are Jamaat or Shibir activists is also not correct and they never belonged to Jamaat or Shibir, the statement claimed.

Tasneem also said the information that "Jamaat lawmaker Riasat ali Biswas in the last parliament session also denied the existence of JMB in Bangladesh" is false.

No Jamaat lawmaker from Satkhira attended the press conference of Ahle Hadith Andolon Bangladesh (Ahab) leader Asadullah Al Galib in Rajshahi, the statement claimed.

The statement also denied that Jamaat chief Motiur Rahman Nizami said "wait and see…get ready for directive" at a public rally at Jaldhaka, Nilphamari.

Our reply
Abdur Rahman's father Abul Fazal was well known in Jamalpur district as a Jamaat man and a collaborator of the Pakistani army during the Liberation War. He was also an active member of the local Al Badar, the killing squad of Jamaat of which Nizami was the chief.

Abdur Rahman was also a Jamaat supporter.

In an interview with The Daily Star published on May 13 last year, Bangla Bhai admitted that he was a Shibir activist, and said, "When I finished my study in 1995, I quit Shibir because Jamaat accepted female leadership [of BNP] although the party considered female leadership as sacrilege."

Jamaat chief Nizami at the end of his speech at Jaldhaka High School playground on February 25 actually said what was published in The Daily Star on September 22. His speech was also published in other newspapers on February 26, 2005. There was no contradiction from Jamaat at that time.

Riasat Ali Biswas during his call attention notice on September 11 said, "A section of Indian and Bangladeshi politicians have been falsely propagating about Bangladeshi intrusion in India and repression on minority, and that different Islamist groups like Jama'atul Mujahideen, Harkatul Jihad etc have been conducting militant training in Bangladesh to turn it into an Islamic country." The speech has been recorded in the parliament proceedings.

Regarding the presence of a Satkhira Jamaat lawmaker at Galib's press conference, the Jamaat claim is correct. We regret our error.

However, Galib at the press conference showed a certificate given by lawmaker Moulana Abdul Khaleq of Satkhira saying that Galib has no connection with militants.

The said 11 persons as mentioned in the Jamaat rejoinder identified themselves as Shibir and Jamaat activists to the police after their arrest.

The Daily Star report also contained names of many other militants who were arrested with various documents, including letters of Jamaat leaders, Jamaat and Shibir receipts of fund collection, and other organisational papers of Jamaat.

Jamaat at different times lobbied for many of these suspected militants and got them released from police custody.

On the other hand, whenever militants are held, Jamaat always denies its link with them. Police on September 16 arrested two top JMB militants with huge amount of bomb-making materials and four firearms at a house belonging to a Jamaat activist in Tanore, Rajshahi.

Jamaat Secretary General and Social Welfare Minister Ali Ahsan Md Mujaheed in a protest letter on September 17 denied Jamaat's links of any sort with the arrestees.

However, Rajshahi Jamaat in a statement on the same day admitted that Obaidullah, brother of one of the arrestees Moulana Shahidullah Faruq, JMB's Chapainawabganj sector commander, is the vice president of the local Jamaat supporters' committee.

Jamaat in its protest statement did not contest any of other information in our report.

We stand by our report.