Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman said that if his party comes to power, “educated thieves” will not be able to steal even a single penny of public money, pledging to recover the Tk28 lakh crore allegedly laundered abroad.
He made the remarks on Tuesday afternoon while addressing a public meeting as the chief guest at the Satkhira Government Boys’ High School field.
The Jamaat ameer claimed that Satkhira has witnessed the highest level of crimes and injustices in the country, alleging that party leaders and activists were targeted through bulldozing of homes, killings and maiming. Recalling a visit to the district in 2015, he said he had come to stand beside the families of 48 people he described as martyrs, asserting that their only “fault” was refusing to recognise any authority other than Allah.
He alleged that Satkhira had been deliberately deprived of development for taking a stand for justice and described Jamaat-e-Islami as the most persecuted political party in the country, citing killings, enforced disappearances, executions, cancellation of party registration and symbol, and a period of proscription.
Shafiqur Rahman said clear instructions had been given to party members not to harm any individual or state property, claiming Jamaat activists had not engaged in extortion or filed false cases and that legal action was taken only against those involved in crimes.
Referring to the suffering of BNP and other opposition parties, journalists and religious scholars over the past 15 years, he said justice must be established so that victims of oppression do not themselves become oppressors.
On the economy, he promised strict action against syndicates and extortionists to curb rising commodity prices, a separate pay structure for workers in risky professions, and fair compensation for those performing additional duties for the country. He said Jamaat would not introduce unemployment allowances for youths, arguing that young people want jobs, not handouts.
Seeking support for the four parliamentary seats in Satkhira, he urged voters to unite to establish what he termed a people’s government, describing voting as a choice between “yes” and “no”, where “yes means independence and no means subjugation”. He called for the victory of the party’s Scales symbol in all four constituencies.
The meeting was presided over by Satkhira district Jamaat Ameer Shahidul Islam Mukul, with speeches by Jamaat Secretary General Golam Porwar and the party’s parliamentary candidates for Satkhira-1, 2, 3 and 4.
