Staff Reporter :
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami’s Assistant Secretary General and former MP AHM Hamidur Rahman Azad issued a statement on September 14, condemning the deaths of BNP’s Central Volunteer Wing Sports Secretary Shawkat Ali Didar and another individual. The deaths occurred following a brutal attack, and Azad strongly protested the incident.
In his statement, Azad said, “On Friday, September 13, BNP’s Volunteer Wing President, SM Jilani, was attacked while on his way to his home in Tungipara.
At around 4 PM, as his motorcade reached Ghonapara in Gopalganj, local Awami League activists launched an assault. BNP’s Central Volunteer Wing Sports Secretary, Shawkat Ali Didar, was beaten to death in the attack. Another person succumbed to injuries while being transported to Dhaka for advanced treatment.”
The attack also left BNP Volunteer Wing President SM Jilani, his wife and Gopalganj District Women’s Wing President Rowshan Ara Ratna, and Metropolitan Volunteer Wing leader Sabuj, along with around 50 others, injured.
Describing the incident as “barbaric and cowardly,” Azad condemned the brutal violence. “This is a savage and cowardly act, and I strongly protest this heinous attack,” he added. He also condemned the assault on Somoy TV’s cameraman HM Manik, who was beaten and had his camera destroyed while attempting to capture footage of the attack.
Meanwhile, Muhammad Selim Uddin, Central Executive Council member of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and Ameer of Dhaka North, has called on the youth and citizens from all walks of life, regardless of political affiliation, to unite in building a just, prosperous, hunger- and poverty-free Bangladesh.
Addressing a youth rally and cultural event organised by the Banani branch of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami on Wireless Road in Mahakhali, Dhaka, Selim Uddin urged the nation to harness the energy and potential of the younger generation to eliminate misrule and bad governance.
The event, held last night, was chaired by Banani Thana Ameer Mizanur Rahman Khan and moderated by Secretary Maulana Abdur Rafi. Special guests included Yasin Arafat, Central Majlis-e-Shura member and Gulshan Region Director, as well as Banani Thana Ameer Mahmudur Rahman Azad.
In his speech, Selim Uddin remarked, “The youth of today are the torchbearers of tomorrow. Throughout history, it has been the youth who have raised to the occasion during national crises.
The recent August revolution was a product of their sacrifices, allowing us to dream of a new Bangladesh. Therefore, instead of marginalising them, we must embrace them.”
He emphasised the importance of providing the youth with vocational training, employment opportunities, and financial support to start their own businesses. He also called for the establishment of moral and ethical training centres in every mosque and place of worship to help steer young people away from crime, drugs, and terrorism.
“Only by fostering these initiatives,” he said, “can the youth become a valuable human resource for the country.”
Selim Uddin expressed concern over the rising levels of unemployment among the youth, attributing the issue to the Awami League government’s prolonged misrule. He pointed out that flawed policies under the current administration have led to a sharp decline in employment opportunities, both domestically and abroad, with the foreign labour market particularly affected.
He concluded by emphasising the critical need to transform Bangladesh’s large youth population into a productive workforce to drive national progress.
“We have undertaken various initiatives aimed at creating employment and fostering entrepreneurship among the youth, and we are committed to continuing these welfare programmes in the future, Inshallah,” he said.
In his final remarks, Selim Uddin encouraged young people to pursue self-employment and entrepreneurship, stressing their vital role in shaping a prosperous future for Bangladesh.