Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman said that while the Awami League led the Liberation War, the party has failed to uphold its achievements.
He remarked that more important than how the public views the Awami League is how the party views itself.
He made these comments during a question-and-answer session following a discussion with members of the Indian Media Correspondents Association Bangladesh (IMCAB) at a venue in Dhaka's Moghbazar on Tuesday afternoon.
In response to a question about former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's stay in India, the Jamaat Ameer said: "After ruling the country for over 15 years, it was not befitting for her to leave the country like Lakshman Sen. Jamaat leaders never left the country; they faced the challenges head-on. Our leaders endured imprisonment and oppression but stayed in the country. They never fled."
When asked about Jamaat's current activities, Shafiqur Rahman said that the judiciary has been destroyed, and a chief justice was forced to leave the country.
There is no longer an Election Commission or electoral system in the country. The police force has become the enemy of the people instead of their friend, he added.
The Jamaat chief said an interim government must be given a reasonable amount of time to prepare for elections, and the country needs to undergo reforms. “Our current priority is to support the families of those killed and injured in student and public uprisings.”
Jamaat issued a press release about the IMCAB discussion, saying that their chief expressed a desire for peace and order to return to the country quickly.
He called for reforms to the constitution, administration, judiciary, and political culture.
Shafiqur Rahman emphasized that no divisions should be made based on party or religion and that Jamaat does not believe in retaliatory politics. The party respects everyone's rights.
The Jamaat Ameer also claimed that their party has been subjected to misinformation.
He said: "Whenever any incident occurred in the country, we were blamed. Even when a Member of Parliament was killed in Gaibandha, the prime minister stood in Parliament and blamed Jamaat for the murder, which was later proven false."
He added that Jamaat has always conducted its movements democratically and peacefully.
Two Jamaat ministers were involved in government administration, and they were never tainted by corruption or nepotism.
Jamaat has always stood by people in times of hardship and has never been involved in destructive activities, nor is it now.
Shafiqur Rahman mentioned that after the regime change on August 5, Jamaat-e-Islami took on the role of protecting the minority community.
He said: "We guarded the homes, properties, and religious establishments of people of different faiths to prevent any vandalism. We believe all people are equal; there is no question of majority or minority. We challenge anyone to prove that any of our members has committed terrorism. If proven, we will apologize to the nation and hand ourselves over to the law."