Dhaka, Dec. 28 -- Samantha Sharmin, senior joint convenor of the National Citizen Party (NCP), has said Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami is "not a reliable ally" and warned that the party may have to "pay a heavy price" if it seeks cooperation or reaches any agreement with the Islamist group.

She made the remarks in a Facebook post on Sunday morning amid growing debate over possible seat-sharing and alliance talks between the NCP and Jamaat ahead of the upcoming national election.

In the past few days, discussions over a potential alliance between the youth-led party, which emerged from the mass uprising of 2024, and Jamaat have come to the fore after leaders of both sides acknowledged the issue.

The matter has since drawn widespread critici...