Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman has said his party does not believe in confining women to their homes and will instead work to ensure a safe society and secure workplaces for them.
“We don’t have the money to buy so many locks to keep women locked inside their homes. What we will do is ensure a safe society and safe workplaces for women,” he said while addressing a public rally in Kushtia today (26 January).
He added that separate bus services would be introduced in major cities to ensure safer travel for women.
Speaking at the rally organised by Jamaat’s Kushtia district unit as part of the election campaign of the Jamaat-led 10-party alliance, Shafiqur outlined his party’s stance on governance, law and order, and social issues. He said the youth and women of the country would not return to what he described as “old and rotten politics.”
On law and order, the Jamaat ameer said his party has taken a firm position against false cases, extortion and illegal occupation, warning that such practices are inflicting hardship on ordinary people.
“Since 5 August, we have not filed a single false case against anyone. In the eight cases we filed, only one accused was named in each, because we did not find more than one guilty person,” he said.
He alleged that indiscriminate case-filing by others has turned into a form of extortion. “Thousands of cases are being filed, names are added, and then bribes are demanded to remove those names. This is how case-trading has started,” he said.
Shafiqur also accused certain groups of engaging in extortion and illegal occupation in different areas. Referring to Kushtia, he expressed concern over reports of illegal toll collection from rice mills and freight trucks.
“We are hearing about tolls being collected from rice trucks—Tk5,000 per truck—and the grabbing of various transport stands,” he said, warning those involved to stop such activities. “People hate these practices and curse those who do them.”
Emphasising the need to eliminate extortion and syndicates to control commodity prices and improve people’s purchasing power, he said Jamaat would work to bring those involved in wrongdoing back to constructive paths.
“If poverty has pushed you into extortion, step away from it. We are willing to share what Allah has given us, but do not oppress the people,” he said.
At the start of his speech, Shafiqur paid tribute to those killed in the July 2024 Uprising, saying the movement proved that the country’s youth fear no one but Allah. He also referred to families affected by enforced disappearances over the past 17 years, calling them among the most oppressed.
“A nation that cannot respect mothers is humiliated globally. We want to build a Bangladesh where everyone is given dignified work,” he said.
Shafiqur said a Jamaat-led government would bring changes across all sectors and would restart the Kushtia Sugar Mill if the 11-party alliance comes to power. He also pledged equal justice for all, “from the president to the beggar,” if Jamaat forms the government through the 13th National Parliamentary Election.
Raising concerns over river conservation, he said the Padma and Gorai rivers have been turned into “deserts” due to corruption, alleging that funds meant for river protection were misappropriated.
Several leaders, including Islami Chhatra Shibir Central General Secretary Sibgatullah, Kushtia-3 candidate Amir Hamza, Kushtia-1 candidate Belal Uddin, Kushtia-2 candidate Abdul Gafur, Kushtia-4 candidate Afzal Hossain, and Kushtia district Jamaat Secretary Suja Uddin Ahmed, also spoke at the rally.
Through the Kushtia programme, Shafiqur formally launched his election campaign in the south-western region. He is scheduled to attend further rallies in Meherpur and Jhenaidah later today.