Political analyst Jahed ur Rahman has criticised Jamaat-e-Islami chief Dr. Shafiqur Rahman for promising to cut working hours for women—particularly mothers—to five hours if the party comes to power, calling the idea “bizarre, wishful and discriminatory.” In a video released Monday on his YouTube channel, Jahed argued that setting women’s hours at five while men work eight but receive equal pay “is discrimination by design” and would ultimately push employers to avoid hiring women altogether.
Referencing the Jamaat amir’s recent remarks at a citizens’ reception in New York, Jahed said the pledge lacks basic policy architecture—no clarity on pay structure, sectoral coverage, productivity metrics, or safeguards against hiring bias. “If men work eight and women five for the same pay, many men will demand compression to five as well. The result is chaos in the labour market and a de facto barrier to women’s employment,” he said.
Jahed further alleged the promise is a tactical move to pressure the BNP during the election season. He predicted Jamaat would roll out more “sky-high, unworkable” pledges, forcing BNP onto the defensive. “Citizens should not accept feel-good promises without detailed implementation plans,” he added, urging parties to present complete road maps—costing, legislation, enforcement, and timelines—or refrain from using “gimmicks” to seek votes.
While acknowledging the stated intent to ease the burden on mothers, Jahed said meaningful reform would require gender-neutral, evidence-based measures—such as paid parental leave, universal childcare, flexible hours available to all employees, anti-discrimination enforcement, and clear productivity standards—rather than a headline-grabbing differential that violates the principle of equal pay for equal work.
“Whether it’s Jamaat, BNP, NCP or any contender,” he concluded, “no one should campaign with absurd promises. Voters deserve complete, practicable plans—not slogans.”