SNE NETWORK.INTERNATIONAL DESK.
Speculations are increasing about the general elections in Bangladesh. Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s Jamaat-e-Islami party organized its first big rally in Dhaka’s Suhrawardy Udyan on Saturday. Lakhs of supporters from across the country arrived in this rally. This rally was the first big party rally in the changed political environment after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government left office last year.
The rally was chaired by party chief Shafiqur Rahman. He said that Jamaat-e-Islami played an important role in last year’s political battle, which aimed to end fascism. Rahman warned his supporters that the struggle to stay on the right path in the country may continue in the future as well. He said that God should give me the courage to be martyred in the struggle to build a just country.
Referring to the political developments that began in October 2006, Rahman said that justice must be done in the country against all those who are responsible. He said that until such cases are not filed, Bangladesh cannot move forward under the old system. It was told that Sheikh Hasina’s government had completely banned this party a few days before losing power, but later the interim government of Professor Muhammad Yunus lifted this ban.
Meanwhile, Shafiqur Rahman announced a movement against corruption and extortion. He said that we will neither accept nor tolerate extortion and corruption. If his party comes to power, no MP or minister will misuse the government treasury. He stressed that a major agenda of the party is to implement the proportional representation system in the national elections. Along with this, senior party leader Abdullah Mohammad Taher said that this election system is most suitable in the current political situation.
According to media reports, preparations for this first stand-alone rally lasted for about a month and more than five lakh people attended it. Earlier, Jamaat-e-Islami used to take part in joint rallies with BNP. According to political analysts, this is the first time Jamaat has organised such a big rally since Bangladesh’s independence in 1971. Earlier, before the 1970 elections, a big rally of theirs at Paltan Maidan in East Pakistan was stopped halfway by opponents.
Political writer Shamsuddin Ahmed Paira said that since then, after independence in 1971, Jamaat has not been able to organise any of its big rallies in the capital, only small unplanned demonstrations have been taking place. This rally is being seen as a sign of Jamaat-e-Islami’s political re-activation.