Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami’s Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman has delivered an address and declared programs to launch a simultaneous movement for pressing the home party’s 10-point demands to restore democracy and people’s due rights.

Jamaat Ameer made the address to the countrymen in a local auditorium of the capital. Central Media and Publicity Affairs Secretary and party’s central executive committee member Matiur Rahman Akanda hosted the program. Among others, Jamaat’s Nayeb-e-Ameer and former MP Professor Mujibur Rahman, Nayeb-e-Ameer and former MP Dr. Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher, party’s Acting Secretary General Maulana ATM Masum, Assistant Secretary General and former MP Hamidur Rahman Azad, Dhaka south city Ameer and central executive committee member Nurul Islam Bulbul and Dhaka north city Ameer and party’s central executive committee member Muhammad Salim Uddin were present on the occasion.

Jamaat Ameer’s full address is as follows:
“Bangladesh is in deep crisis now. The nation is continuously moving toward more crises. A devastating situation is prevailing in every sector including the country’s politics, economy, education, culture, and social perspectives.

The incumbent government took the office through a farcical election in 2008 in a bid to open a safe exit for the military-backed regime. Later, to consolidate its power, the government abolished the caretaker government system by giving an excuse for the court’s verdict. But even in that particular verdict, the court recommended holding another two elections under the caterer system. The ruling party ultimately destroyed the electoral system just for its greed for power.

The government again captured state power by holding two controversial and flawed elections in 2014 and 2018. The people of Bangladesh have no voting rights and are not enjoying the freedom of expression. There is no scope for movement or holding rallies and processions. Bangladesh has become a nation where people have no rights.

The government has completely politicized the administrative system. Even the officers of law enforcement entities are talking like political leaders. Instead of discharging professional duties, they are busy implementing the government's unjust directives. Under the such political influence and having a full setup of ruling party cadres in the administration, a fair election is not possible. The last two elections established this fact. The entire nation knows very well that for holding a fair and participatory election there is no alternative but a caretaker government.

Continuous price hikes of the essentials and utilities like electricity, gas, agro, and academic items have taken these basic items beyond people’s reach. The countrymen are facing barriers and suffering because of the gas, power, and water crisis.

Since the government came to office, it has pushed the nation toward a massive economic crisis through so many financial irregularities including capital market scams, bank looting, hallmark scandal, reserve fund heist, etc. More than 8 lac crore taka has been laundered to foreign countries. In the name of mega projects, thousands of core taka have been embezzled. The projects are being made sluggish to seek more allocation. All these crises and scandals have made the economic situation critical and unbearable.

The present government is torturing and repressing religious scholars and Islamic thinkers unprecedentedly. A huge number of religious scholars are still behind bars. Opposition leaders and activists are being harassed in connection with thousands of cases. Journalists are not allowed to discharge their professional duties. Many of the journalists have been killed, many of them have been detained and a significant number of journalists are leading a terrible life facing warrants of arrest. A good number of journalists also became compelled to leave this country.

The government has abducted the talented son of the soil. Victims of enforced disappearance are still traceless and their families are rushing here to find out their whereabouts. A documentary namely Aainaghar, which has been telecasted on a foreign news channel has shocked and thundered the world.

Numerous incidents of torture against women and children, rape, abduction, and kidnapping have tarnished the image of Bangladesh in the global arena. The youth communities are being destroyed in a planned way. A major part of the youth section is addicted. The government has given a license to alcohol which is severely injurious to health.

There is no favorable environment to hold constitutionally recognized rallies, processions, and gatherings. Police are also obstructing the people to materialize their democratic rights. Political leaders and activists are being arrested from peaceful rallies.

Jamaat Ameer said as you know, the government has shut down Jamaat’s central office, districts, and city offices and seized the democratic rights away. The judiciary is at the verde of destruction. No environment of having justice over there as well.

Because of the failed foreign policy of the government, murder of civilians at the borders are going on continuously. The government could not make any proper treaty with neighboring India to resolve the crisis with common river’s water. Even, the govenrment remained almost silent and passive during open fire and explosion in the Myanmar border area in recent times.

Under the circumstances, Jamaat Ameer declared the following 10 points and said, the only way to rescue the nation from this critical condition is to elect a people’s government. To do so, fair and participatory election is a must under non-party goevrnment. In this backdrop, we are declaring the following 10 point demands to initiate a simultaneous movement to restore democracy and people’s due rights:

1. The incumbent unelected and corrupted government has to resign by abolishing the existing parliament and based on article 58 (B), (C) and (D), which had been included in the constitution in 1996, a non-party caretaker government is to be formed;

2. The caretaker government will cancel the existing election commission and will subsequently form another election commission that is acceptable to all, impartial, and functionally independent.

3. Convictions against BNP Chairperson and former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia and Jamaat-e-Islami’s Nayeb-e-Ameer and former MP Allama Delawar Hossain Sayee and other opposition leaders and activists have to be cancelled; all false cases to be withdrawn, torture and repression must come to an end and all political detainees to be released immediately;

4. Office of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and other parties to be opened. Jamaat’s registration and political symbol are to be returned and freedom of holding rallies, processions, and religious programs must be ensured. The administration and ruling party should stop all types of interference on the political parties so that they can arrange declared political programs peacefully and democratically. Lodging of the new false cases and the arrest drive against the opposition activists must be stopped;

5. All acts and laws which violate human rights including Digital Security Act-2018, Anti-terrorism law-2009, and special power act-1974 should be abolished;

6. The decision of increasing power, energy, fertilizer, and water prices must be canceled. All types of agro-based products, baby food, and essentials’ price should be brought within common’s reach; the labor’s salary to be refixed according to the current market price; torture against children should be stopped, child labor and due prices of the agricultural products must be ensured;

7. An independent and strong commission is to be formed to investigate all financial scams that took place in the last 15 years in various sectors including money laundering, the banking and finance sector, the power and energy sector, industrial and capital market sector. The bribery and interest-taking process must be abandoned. Proper initiatives to be taken to save the youth from addiction and simultaneously conspiracy against religious education to be halted;

8. All victims of enforced disappearance should be rescued. Extrajudicial killing, custodial death, and state-patronized torture to be stopped and punitive measures should be taken against the offenders. Judicial punishment should be ensured against those criminals who are involved in grabbing the houses and establishments of minorities;

9. The government’s intervention should be stopped. The law enforcers, administration, and judiciary should be allowed to function freely and independently;

10. Civilian murder at the frontier should be stopped at once and national unity is to be formed to preserve and protect independence and sovereignty and also to thwart the conspiracy for dividing the nation.

Jamaat Ameer has declared mass processions in all divisional cities and districts to press home the aforesaid 10-point demands as a part of the simultaneous movement. He stated that gradually more programs will be declared. He sought assistance and cooperation from all political parties, civil societies, journalists, professionals, and other sections to make the declared program successful.