Bangladesh’s largest Islamist party rallies for fair elections

The South Asian state is expected to caput to the polls adjacent year.

Hundreds of thousands of supporters of Bangladesh’s largest Islamist enactment took portion successful a rally successful the capital, Dhaka, demanding an overhaul of the electoral system.

The South Asian federation is expected to caput to the polls adjacent twelvemonth arsenic it stands astatine a crossroads aft the ouster of erstwhile Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

On Saturday, Jamaat-e-Islami placed a seven-point request connected the country’s interim authorities headed by Muhammad Yunus to guarantee a free, just and peaceful election, justness for each wide killings, indispensable reforms and the proclamation and implementation of a charter involving past year’s wide uprising.

The enactment besides said it wants the instauration of a proportional practice strategy successful the election.

Thousands of supporters of Jamaat-e-Islami spent the nighttime connected the Dhaka University field earlier the rally.

On Saturday morning, braving the sweltering heat, they continued to watercourse towards Suhrawardy Udyan, a humanities tract wherever the Pakistani service surrendered to a associated unit of India and Bangladesh connected December 16, 1971, ending the nine-month war.

“We are present for a caller Bangladesh, wherever Islam would beryllium the guiding rule of governance, wherever bully and honorable radical volition regularisation the country, and determination volition beryllium nary corruption,” said Iqbal Hossain, 40.

“We volition sacrifice our lives, if necessary, for this cause.”

‘No discrimination’

Some demonstrators wore T-shirts bearing the party’s logo, others sported headbands inscribed with its name, portion galore displayed metallic badges shaped similar a standard – the party’s electoral symbol.

Many young supporters successful their 20s and 30s were besides present.

“Under Jamaat-e-Islami, this state volition person nary discrimination. All radical volition person their rights. Because we travel the way of the beatified publication – Quran,” said Mohidul Morsalin Sayem, a 20-year-old student.

“If each the Islamist parties articulation hands, soon, cipher volition beryllium capable to instrumentality powerfulness from us.”

The party’s chief, Shafiqur Rahman, said the country’s conflict successful 2024 was to destruct “fascism”, but this time, determination would beryllium different combat against corruption and extortion.

“How volition the aboriginal Bangladesh look like? There volition beryllium different combat … We volition bash immoderate is indispensable and triumph that fight,” Rahman said.

Jamaat-e-Islami enactment members rally astatine Suhrawardy Udyan successful Dhaka [Munir Uz Zaman/AFP]

After Bangladesh’s independence, Jamaat, which sided with Pakistan during Bangladesh’s warfare of independency successful 1971, was banned.

It aboriginal re-emerged and registered its champion electoral show successful 1991 erstwhile it secured 18 seats.

The enactment besides joined a conjugation authorities successful 2001, but failed to physique lasting fashionable support.

While Prime Minister Hasina was successful powerfulness from 2009 until she was toppled successful student-led protests past twelvemonth and fled to India, apical leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami were either executed oregon jailed connected charges of crimes against humanity and different superior crimes successful 1971.

Last month, the Supreme Court restored the party’s registration, paving the mode for its information successful elections slated for adjacent April.

In a connection connected X, Hasina’s Awami League enactment reacted sharply to Yunus’s authorities allowing Saturday’s rally.

The connection said the determination “marks a stark betrayal with the nationalist conscience and constitutes a brazen enactment of undermining millions of radical – dormant and live – who fought against the evil axis [in 1971]”.

The Yunus-led medication has banned the Awami League, and Hasina has been successful exile successful India since past August. She faces charges of crimes against humanity.