Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami ameer Shafiqur Rahman said on Friday that a neutral election was not possible in Bangladesh under the current situation.
He made the remarks referring to the recent violence in Patgram, Lalmonirhat, while speaking at a rally held at Rangpur Zilla School ground.
鈥楿nder the current circumstances, a neutral election is impossible. We must first create an environment for credible elections, and that requires fundamental reforms,鈥� said Shafiqur while addressing the rally, which was the first major Jamaat gathering in Rangpur in nearly 17 years. 聽
He urged political parties to control their activists to prevent violence.
鈥楶olitical leaders must take responsibility for their own activists. Only then can the state play its role in maintaining order,鈥� he added.
Speaking to reporters at Saidpur Airport in Nilphamari before attending the rally in Rangpur, he said, 鈥楳ob culture has been prevailing in the country for a long time, but no Jamaat activist is involved in such violence. Since 1972, we have consistently opposed mob politics.鈥�
Thousands of leaders and supporters from Rangpur and neighbouring districts joined the rally, with the crowd spilling over onto adjacent streets.
The rally echoed with slogans demanding the implementation of Islamic law and governance by honest leaders.
During the rally, Jamaat鈥檚 Rangpur-Dinajpur regional director and assistant secretary general Maulana Abdul Halim announced party candidates for all 33 parliamentary seats in Rangpur division, covering Rangpur, Kurigram, Gaibandha, Panchagarh, Dinajpur, Thakurgaon, Nilphamari, and Lalmonirhat districts.
Supporters travelled to Rangpur by rickshaw, auto-rickshaws and trucks since morning to join the event.
Security was heightened across the city in anticipation of the rally, which was organised by Jamaat鈥檚 Rangpur metropolitan and district units to press for four key demands, including justice for the July-August mass uprising killings and reforms before the next national elections.
Jamaat leaders said the rally aimed to mobilise public support in the spirit of the July mass uprising and initiate a broader movement for a 鈥榥ew Bangladesh.鈥�
Thirty-three candidates were formally introduced at the event.
