Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islam’s Acting Secretary General Maulana ATM Masum has issued the following statement on 26th September 2023 declaring peaceful demonstration in all cities on 27th September demanding immediate release of Jamaat Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman and other leaders and religious scholars and also for restoring caretaker government system.
The government has kept Jamaat Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman, other central leaders and hundreds of party leaders and activists behind the bar in connection with some false and concocted cases. The detained leaders have secured bail from the court but their release orders are being denied. The fascist government are harassing the noted religious scholars by filing intentional and motivated cases against them. Even false cases are being filed against the deceased personnel. Older, kids and women are not spared from the repression of the government. Jamaat’s central Majlish-e-Shura member and former MP Shahjahan Chowdhury had secured bail. The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court also gave a directive not to arrest and not to harass him. However, the authority denied his release and continued to kept him imprisoned. The torture and repression of the government has become extremely intensified in recent times.
Jamaat and other opposition party’s main demand is the stepdown of the government to hold the next election under a caretaker government. The people are united to press home their demands of restoring the caretaker government system. The government is mulling to hold another farcical election keeping the oppositions out of the election process.
Under the circumstances, I am declaring peaceful demonstration in all cities on 27th September demanding immediate release of Jamaat Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman and other leaders and religious scholars and also for restoring caretaker government system in order to ensure a free, fair and credible election. I am seeking the assistances from the Jamaat leaders, activists and the city dwellers to make the declared programs successful.”