Dr. Shafiqur Rahman, Ameer of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, stated that forming a Jamaat-e-Islami government or achieving party victory is not their goal; rather, their aspiration is the victory of 180 million people. He remarked that the purpose of Jamaat’s politics is to ensure the welfare of all citizens of the country, irrespective of their caste, religion, or political affiliation.
He made these remarks as the chief guest at a large election rally organized by District Jamaat-e-Islami on Friday (February 6) afternoon at Narail Government High School grounds.
Dr. Shafiqur Rahman said, “We do not want to return to old politics. That politics did not allow Bangladesh to progress; it chained and held it back. Relying on Allah, we want to change that old arrangement. The upcoming 12th is the opportunity for that change.”
Referring to the February 12 election as a referendum, he said, “In this referendum, ‘yes’ means freedom, and ‘no’ means slavery. Insha’Allah, our first vote will be ‘yes’ for freedom. The second vote will be for the symbol of justice, the ‘dharipalla’ (scale).”
The Jamaat Ameer said, “We want to build a Bangladesh where there will be no discrimination, no extortion or corruption, and no manipulation of legal cases. No one will be unjustly harmed, and no mother will be assaulted. Our goal is to build a safe and proud Bangladesh for everyone.”
Regarding justice, he said, “Just as ordinary people will be punished for committing a crime, the Prime Minister or President of the country will also have to face the same law for committing the same crime. No one will be spared. The crime belongs to the perpetrator, and so does the punishment.”
He added, “We want to entrust the responsibility of building this Bangladesh to the youth. The 12th is that opportunity knocking at our door. The ‘dharipalla’ (scale) is not a symbol of any single party; it is a symbol of a united Bangladesh.”
The rally, presided over by Ataur Rahman Bachchu, Ameer of District Jamaat-e-Islami and parliamentary candidate for Narail-2 constituency, and moderated by Obaidullah Kaisar, Secretary of District Jamaat and parliamentary candidate for Narail-1 constituency, also featured speeches from — Maulana Ashiq Elahi, Jessore-Kushtia regional team member and former district Ameer of Narail; Master Zakir Hossain, District Naib Ameer; Jamaat leader Md. Shamsur Rahman; Khilafat Majlis leader Hafez Maulana Abdur Rahman; NCP leader Mahmuda Sultana Rimi; and Mohammad Salauddin, District President of Islami Chhatra Shibir, among others.
After the speeches, Dr. Shafiqur Rahman handed over the ‘dharipalla’ (scale) symbol to the Jamaat-e-Islami nominated parliamentary candidates for Narail-1 and Narail-2 constituencies. A large number of activists from district, upazila, municipal, and union levels were present at the time.