Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami’s Acting Ameer and former MP Professor Mujibur Rahman addressed a press conference on 21st December, 2023 which was held for boycotting the polls, for being refrained from casting votes and also for restoring voting rights and restoring democracy. Jamaat’s central executive committee member and party’s media and publicity affairs secretary Advocate Matiur Rahman Akanda hosted the conference. Among others, Jamaat’s Assistant Secretary General Hamidur Rahman Azad, central executive committee member and Dhaka south city Ameer Nurul Islam Bulbul and central working committee member and Dhaka north city’s Acting Ameer Abdur Rahman Musa were present on the occasion.

Professor Mujibur Rahman’s address to the nation is given below:

All praise to Allah Almighty and peace and blessing be upon the final Prophet.

Dear journalists,
Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu.

You are well informed that Awami League terrorists had attacked the people, houses and other establishment on 28th October of 2006 and created a mayhem and anarchy. Amid such volatile situation, a military backed caretaker regime took the charge of the power. To facilitate a safe exit of that government, Awami League let them to hold an election of compromise and came to the power subsequently. Since they came to the office, Awami League started torturing and repressing the opposition leaders. In order to destroy the political leadership, they also filed false and concocted cases against the Jamaat leaders. By plotting a staged trial in the International Crimes Tribunal, they conducted intentional investigation and produced partymen as witnesses. Resultantly, the tribunal awarded death penalties against Jamaat’s the then Ameer and former minister Maulana Matiur Rahman Nizami, Secretary General and former minister Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid, Assistant Secretary General Muhammad Kamaruzzaman and Abdul Quader Molla and party’s central executive committee member Mir Quasem Ali and executed all of them. Lite time imprisonment was declared against world-renowned Islamic scholar and Jamaat’s former Nayeb-e-Ameer Allama Delwar Hossain Sayedee. He finally died in BSMMU prison cell on 14th August of 2023 due to negligence of the doctors. The government also implicated former Prime Minister and BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia in another false cases and created bar in her rights to do politics.
The incumbent illegitimate government later cancelled the caretaker government system and took all out measures to stay in power for a long time. Parliamentary election, city corporation election, Upazila and municipality election and all other local government elections, which have been held under the current regime failed to attain neutrality, acceptance and credibility. They restrain the opposition movement; they also murdered the potential leaders. In last 15 years, Awami League has murdered thousands of leaders and activists belong to various opposition parties. They have abducted patriot army officers, lawyers and student leaders. They have put the nation into an unprecedented anarchic situation by continuing torture, oppression, misrule and corruptions. They have laundered millions of crores of taka. They know it clearly that they will never be able to come back to the power through a fair election. So, they made lots of tricks to keep the opposition out of the election. They formed the election commission with their chosen personnel through a pretentious process of search committee. By recruiting party men in the administrations and the lower court, they sort out a blue print design to win the election. People of all walks including almost all the political parties, civil societies, authors, intellectuals, columnists, journalists, lawyers and others have been continuing movement for dissolving the parliament and immediate stepdown of the government in order to hold a free, fair and credible election under a caretaker government. Friendly countries and democratic worlds including USA and UK have expressed their opinions to hold an inclusive and credible election in Bangladesh. But ignoring the demands and opinions of all these sections, the government has become able to declare the schedule for next election by its submissive election commission and preparation is going on now for holding a farcical election.

Dear journalist friends,
From the onset, the government has been plotting various conspiracies to keep the opposition away from the election. Accordingly, they are causing barrier in holding opposition party’s rallies, meeting and processions. To the latest, the government in a planned way, attacked the rallies of the opposition on last 28th October. Police also charged baton against the activists of Jamaat-e-Islami when they gathered to organize the pre-declared rally. Later, they foiled BNP’s program and arrested its top leaders including party’s secretary general. The authority undertook various measures to create obstruction instead of creating a congenial atmosphere for election. They conducted arrest drives nationwide, arrested thousands of opposition leaders and activists and closed the door for their smooth participation in election. The concerned authorities are also expediting the political cases and convicting the opposition leaders so that they cannot take part in the election. On last 19th December, a court sentenced life time imprisonment against 13 Jamaat leaders of Natore district. In last 3 week, over thousands of opposition activists became convicted in various cases. A minister of the government also acknowledged that the opposition leaders are being detained or released as per their directives. Even he outspokenly told that, the opposition parties were given proposals of freeing all detained leaders in one night under the condition of participating in the upcoming election. He also admitted that the government had no alternative but arresting more than 20 thousand leaders and activists of the opposition parties. They have taken all these measures in a planned way, he added. The minster’s confessional remarks exposed the government’s interference upon the judiciary.

The government still kept Jamaat Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman, Secretary General Professor Mia Golam Porwar, Assistant Secretary General Maulana Rafiqul Islam Khan, central executive committee member and Dhaka north city Ameer Selim Uddin, central Majlish-e-Shura member Shahjahan Chowdhury and 3 thousand others behind the bar unjustifiably. The government so far filed 14, 849 false cases against the leaders and activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Chhatrashibir. Despite securing bail from the High Court, the authorities are not releasing Mia Golam Porwar and Maulana Rafiqul Islam Khan. Rather, they have been kept detained by lodging new false case against them. Violating article 35 of the constitution, Maulana Rafiqul Islam Khan is being produced regularly in the court by putting shackles, the move which is completely goes against the humanitarian and the constitutional directives.

Dear journalists,
The government has captured the office in 2014 without public mandates. In that election, Awami League candidates of 154 constituencies were elected even without votes. The voters did not go to the polling centers as well. Another election is going to be held soon. The Prime Minister also forgot that prior to the 2018 election, she assured to hold a participatory and credible election. Being convinced by her assurance, political parties took part in that election. But in the previous night of the scheduled election, the government filled up all the ballot boxes by utilizing the party cadres and the administration. The election subsequently became introduced as ‘midnight election.’ Due to power greedy attitude, the government has completed all initiatives once again to hold another farcical election. They have outlined a unique technique of so-called inclusive election by keeping independent and dummy candidates. By holding previous three farcical elections and by destroying the electoral management and democratic structures, the government is pushing the nation toward a one-party rule once again. By snatching the voting rights of the people away, the government is arranging an election of negotiation and mutual compromise. We have to free the nation from such vote hijackers.

Dear journalists,
The opposition parties are doing peaceful movement to regain voting rights and also for restoring democracy. The law enforcers including police and BGB are being deployed to foil opposition declared blockade, strike and other programs. The opposition leaders and activists can not stay in their home, move freely even they cannot join the funeral prayers and mosques to perform rituals. Defying the government’s obstructions, the people are taking the movement toward success. Ignoring the public demand, the government is making arrangement to hold a farcical election, but the people will never let them to make it happened. Under the current situation, our humble calls are:
• Take all out resistance from individual and collective position against the farcical election.
• Keep away from casting votes and encourage others to be refrained from casting votes despite the pressure, intimidation and threats of Awami League and the administration
• Refrain your self and others in assisting the government in any works related to casting votes
• Disconnect all types of relationship with this tyrant, oppressor and autocratic government.

We are declaring the following programs for boycotting the upcoming farcical election and also for holding a free, fair and credible election under a neutral caretaker government:

1. Mass contact and leaflet distribution from 21st to 23rd December
2. Nationwide dawn to dusk blockade on 24th December
We are urging the countrymen to boycott the upcoming election and also to form resistance movement against the election in order to free the nation from the existing crisis.
On behalf of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, we are thanking and expressing gratitude to you and the fellow countrymen for listening to my address with due patience.
Allah Hafez. Bangladesh Zindabad
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Zindabad

Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullah