Attempts are being made to make a group involved in economic looting and money laundering influential again in the financial sector, with Islami Bank being handed over to them, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Assistant Secretary General Muhammad Shahjahan alleged on Thursday.
Speaking at a press conference at the party’s city office in Chattogram at 11am, Shahjahan claimed a group within the government – responsible for looting the economy, laundering money abroad, and taking loans through fake institutions – is trying to return to power and take control of the bank.
“This is not just about one bank. An attempt is being made to destroy a model of the global Islamic economy,” he said.
He warned that attempts to seize Islami Bank and hand it over to old occupiers will not be allowed. “Customers will not sit idle as before. They will come forward to protect their deposits and the model of the Islamic economy,” he added.
The press conference was organised ahead of an 11-party divisional rally in Chattogram, which demanded implementation of the people’s referendum verdict, control of commodity prices, improvement of law and order, and establishment of people’s rights.
Shahjahan said the new Bangladesh that people dreamed of through long struggles has not seen visible progress even after the current government came to power.
He alleged a lack of effective initiatives to implement the referendum verdict, the July charter, and necessary state reforms.
Criticising the law-and-order situation, Shahjahan said crimes including murder, snatching, robbery, kidnapping, and violence against women and children have increased, creating insecurity among ordinary people.
He also alleged rising extortion, land occupation, and partisan influence in various institutions.
Corruption, irregularities, bribery, nepotism, and a lack of accountability in both government and private sectors are harming public life, he added.
Shahjahan called for keeping financial institutions free from political influence and ensuring transparency and accountability.
On Chattogram’s development, he emphasised prioritising national interest in port management and infrastructure projects, including the Matarbari deep seaport and Bay Terminal.
He expressed concern that inflation may rise further after the budget and demanded effective steps to ease the suffering of lower and middle-income people. He also called for an end to border killings, administrative neutrality, and a stronger democratic environment.
Leaders of the 11-party alliance from Chattogram were present at the press conference.
