Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami’s Ameer Dr. Shafiqul Rahman has urged the recognition of the martyrs of the 2024 movement as 'National Heroes.' He stated that people from all sections of the country as well as people from abroad participated in this uprising, as per their capabilities. We congratulate and express our gratitude to them all. He prayed for the martyrs' souls and its salvations.
He made these comments during a ‘Meet the Press’ event with the journalists of various Bengali media in the UK on Tuesday, November 19, at a restaurant in East London.
Referring to the remittances sent by expatriates, Dr. Shafiqul Rahman highlighted the immense support they provide to Bangladesh. He further appealed to expatriates to send "intelligence remittances" in addition to monetary remittances, which would significantly aid the intellectual development of Bangladesh. Through such contributions, he believes that expatriates can make a great impact in building the Bangladesh of their dreams.
Discussing the rampant corruption of the previous government, Dr. Shafiqur Rahman stated that the level of development that could have been achieved has not been realized. He explained that in other countries of the region, the costs for development projects have been a fraction of what is shown for similar projects in Bangladesh. No project in Bangladesh has been completed on time, and the deadlines have been extended as a result, the project costs were inflated. This way, the country was plundered and impoverished.
In response to a journalist's question about the 1971 events, Dr. Shafiqur Rahman stated, "If any mistakes were made in 1971, and if proven beyond doubt, I will apologize to the nation." Referring to the UK court ruling on Chowdhury Maeen Uddin, he mentioned that judges had observed that the trial conducted in Bangladesh's War Crimes Tribunal was a “Genocide of Justice." He also expressed that for 15 years, they were not allowed to speak at their offices or hold rallies, and even through the press, they could not reach the nation.
Jamaat Ameer further stated that due to national disunity and corruption, the nation has been unable to progress. He termed corruption as a national shame, stating that the UK has been able to maintain a degree of freedom from corruption, which has helped elevate its global stature, something that Bangladesh has failed to achieve. "If those who are in charge of the society are not clean, the society will never be clean," he added.
The ‘Meet the Press’ event was also attended by Barrister Abu Bakr Molla, spokesperson for Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami in Europe. The event was conducted by Abu Saleh Yahya. Over fifty journalists from various Bengali media outlets in the UK participated in the event.
