Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami nayeb-e-amir Mujibur Rahman said on Saturday that only Islamic laws should be followed in the national parliament in future, and there should be no place for man-made ideas or systems.
He made the remark at a public rally at Suhrawardy Udyan in the capital, calling for meeting a seven-point demand, including justice for the聽 August 2024 mass killings, holding elections in a proportional representation system, and ensuring a level-playing field for all parties to ensure a free, fair, and peaceful vote.
鈥業f Pakistan鈥檚 24 years and Bangladesh鈥檚 54 years are added together, it amounts to 78 years. During this entire period, Islam has not been established in the national parliament, and not a single law based on the Quran has been implemented, resulting in unrest, corruption, and widespread suffering for the people,鈥� Mujibur said.
Jamaat amir Shafiqur聽聽 Rahman fell ill as he began his speech and later said that the future of Bangladesh would involve another struggle, adding that while the previous struggle was against fascism, the next would be against corruption.聽
He said that justice must be ensured for all atrocities,聽 including the Shapla Square massacre, Pilkhana carnage, and 2024 killings, adding that Bangladesh could not continue under the old system until this justice was achieved.
Shafiqur said that if the Jamaat-e-Islami forms the government with the people鈥檚 support, the party鈥檚 MPs and ministers will not receive government plots or tax-free vehicles, will not handle public funds personally, and will publicly report project completions to the nation.
At the rally, echoing Mujibur Rahman, Jamaat executive council member ATM Azharul Islam said that if the fate of the 180 million people was to be changed, it could only be achieved by following the laws Allah.
鈥楤angladesh Jamaat-e-Islami is not a political party in the conventional sense, nor is it merely a religious organisation; it is a comprehensive Islamic movement with no affiliation outside Islam,鈥� he said.
Representatives from the Nationalist Citizen Party, Islami Andolan Bangladesh, Hefazat-e-Islam, Khelafat Majlish, Gono Odhikar Parishad, and Nezam-e-Islam Party were present at the meeting, while no representative from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party attended.
BNP standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed told reporters that the party had not received any invitation from the Jamaat.
The Jamaat national rally attracted a massive gathering, spilling over beyond Suhrawardy Udyan and filling the surrounding roads.
The event began at 9:40am with a recitation from the Quran on the stage, followed by cultural performances that continued until 1:00 pm.
At the rally Jamaat nayeb-e-amir Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher said that they never accepted any form of terrorism or militancy, that no type of militancy, whether religious or political, could emerge in Bangladesh, and that the party would strongly oppose and combat that.
Regarding reforms, he said that those who opposed the proportional representation system had ill intentions, as the system prevented any single group from dominating.
鈥榃e want a new Bangladesh where those who try to restore the old system of rule will not be given a chance by the people,鈥� Taher said.
Referring to recent differences among political parties, Jamaat amir Shafiqur said that no one should belittle or mock those who had made sacrifices, or should use arrogant, disrespectful, or politically immature language.
鈥楽uch behaviour reflects traces of fascism still present in us,鈥� he said.
Shafiqur questioned where those who were now making various demands and statements would have been today if the life-risking struggle of 2024 had not occurred.
ATM Azhar called for justice, alleging that 10 of Jamaat leaders died in prison 鈥攆ive were executed and five denied medical treatment 鈥� and that there was also an attempt on his life.
Jamaaat assistant secretary general Hamidur Rahman Azad said that the country鈥檚 flawed electoral system was the primary cause behind 54 years of national underperformance.
Criticising Bangladesh鈥檚 continued use of the British-introduced constituency-based candidate system, he noted that over a hundred countries globally have adopted the PR system for their elections.
He urged the government to urgently incorporate the PR system into the constitution.
Another assistant secretary general Rafiqul Islam Khan demanded the completion of trail of July massacres before holding the national elections.
Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Railway operated four special trains on the Dhaka鈥揅hattogram, Dhaka鈥揗ymensingh, Dhaka鈥揜ajshahi, and Dhaka鈥揝irajganj routes between Friday night and Sunday morning to transport local-level Jamaat leaders and supporters to Dhaka for the rally, officials said on Saturday.
According to railway officials, the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami had rented the special trains through official procedures, and ticket fares were collected from all passengers.
Bangladesh Railway鈥檚 director general, Md Afzal Hossain, said that since August 5, 2024, when the student-led uprising ousted the Awami League-led government, no other political parties 鈥� including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and National Citizen Party 鈥� had rented trains to carry their people.
He added that the practice of using special trains was largely seen during the 15-year tenure of the Awami League-led government.
