Jamaat ameer vows crackdown on bank looting, corruption

Staff Reporter :

Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman on Friday pledged a sweeping crackdown on bank looting, corruption and what he described as politically motivated case harassment if the 11-party alliance comes to power.

Addressing an election rally organised by the upazila Jamaat at Bauphal Public Ground in Patuakhali, Dr Rahman warned that no one would be allowed to plunder banks under his party’s watch.

He accused unnamed individuals of siphoning off public funds and smuggling money abroad, vowing to recover the stolen assets and return them to the state treasury.

“Those who have stolen the country’s money and smuggled it abroad—if Allah Almighty gives us the opportunity to govern the country, that money will be recovered and deposited in the state treasury, InshaAllah,” he said.

The Jamaat chief said his party would adopt a zero-tolerance policy towards corruption, both within government and beyond.

“We will neither engage in corruption nor allow anyone else to do so. There will be no place for corruption in Bangladesh, and it will be uprooted,” he told supporters.

Dr Rahman also spoke out against what he termed the misuse of the legal system to harass political opponents and ordinary citizens.

“We detest litigation. Those who destroy the lives of innocent people by filing false cases will not be spared,” he said, adding that strict punishment would follow if evidence of wrongdoing was found.

Turning to development priorities, he said an 11-party alliance government would focus first on the country’s most deprived and oppressed regions. Allocation of resources and access to public services, he added, would be based on justice and merit rather than political influence or personal connections.

“Recommendations from influential individuals will not work, and one’s place of residence will not matter,” Dr Rahman said. “People’s rights will be ensured on the basis of justice and merit.”

The speech comes as political parties intensify campaigning ahead of the national election, with corruption, economic accountability and access to justice emerging as key themes in public rallies across the country.