‘Jamaat open to electoral ties under three conditions’

Staff Reporter :

Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh Ameer Shafiqur Rahman on Friday said any political party could reach an electoral understanding with Jamaat if it agreed to three clear conditions.

“We will not engage in corruption, we will not shelter the corrupt, we will ensure equal justice for all at every spheres of society, and no politician will interfere in the judicial process. There must also be a commitment to implement all reform recommendations,” he said.

Shafiqur Rahman made the remarks while addressing as the Chief Guest at the central members’ conference of Islami Chhatra Shibir at the Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar on Friday afternoon.

Referring to Islami Chhatra Shibir, he said the organisation was no longer just a conventional student body. According to him, in the post-2024 uprising period, the country’s student community had embraced Shibir with trust and affection and given it a mandate.

“Now Shibir must play the role of guardian for the student community,” he said.
Jamaat Ameer alleged that for the last 54 years students had been deprived of pens and books and were instead misled and pushed towards violence.

Educational institutions, he said, had been turned into “mini cantonments”, where there was no security for female students’ dignity or for students’ lives and careers.
“That dark chapter has begun to fade, but its shadow has not fully disappeared. Until this darkness is eliminated, Shibir’s struggle must continue,” he added.

Later, Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Professor Mia Golam Parwar said the country was now witnessing a new possibility after leaving behind a “dark era”.
“This is the moment to unite the nation and move forward. Yet, at this very time, we are seeing conspiracies aimed at blocking this progress,” he said.

Speaking at the same conference, Golam Parwar alleged that opponents had failed to stop what he described as the anti-hegemony Islamic movement through violence and were now resorting to falsehoods and propaganda to mislead the nation.
“The people of this country will never believe lies or propaganda,” he said.
He also accused rival forces of branding Islami Chhatra Shibir as anti-independence, violent or secretive without being able to prove such claims.
Referring to student union elections at four public universities, he said the public had rejected those opponents and refused to be misled.
Highlighting Shibir’s role in the July mass uprising, Golam Parwar said the political transformation in Bangladesh had come at the cost of immense sacrifice.
“We are waiting to see a humane Bangladesh. In that struggle, Islami Chhatra Shibir stood as courageous and fearless fighters. Through blood, sacrifice and martyrdom, we have reached this point,” he said.
The conference was also addressed by Jamaat assistant secretary general Rafiqul Islam Khan, central executive council member and Dhaka-12 candidate Saiful Alam Khan Milon, Islami Andolon Bangladesh presidium member Ashraf Ali Akon, Bangladesh Labour Party chairman Mostafizur Rahman Iran, and JAGPA spokesperson Rashed Pradhan, among others.
Senior leaders from Jamaat-e-Islami, Khilafat Majlis and other allied organisations, as well as parliamentary hopefuls from different constituencies, were present at the programme.
The event was chaired by Islami Chhatra Shibir central president Zahidul Islam, while its general secretary Nurul Islam Saddam conducted the proceedings. Several thousand Shibir members attended the conference.