Jamaat-e-Islami is planning to use all its strength to make the opposition’s December 29 programme to march to Dhaka a success, party insiders told the Dhaka Tribune.
Several senior leaders told the Dhaka Tribune that they would stage a massive showdown on the day, and that they were taking full preparations to tackle the situation if law enforcement created any obstacles to foil this “March for Democracy.”
A senior Jamaat leader told the Dhaka Tribune that the party had plans to bring at least one lakh activists to Dhaka for the programme. He also said they had instructed their activists to take preparation to stay there for days if necessary.
He said the party had instructed its activists to bring dry food and water so that they would not face problems in stay there for several days.
The leader, a former president of Jamaat’s student wing Shibir, also said Jamat had instructed medical professionals loyal to its cause to be prepared to give service to Jamaat activists in case of any massive clash.
“We have taken full preparation to make the programme successful,” said the senior leader.
Keeping in mind the experiences from the law enforcement crackdown on Hefazat’s May 5 rally, the activists were asked to be fully prepared to face any situation.
Party’s acting secretary general Shafiqur Rahman issued a strongly worded statement yesterday saying Jamaat would overcome any obstacles from the law enforcement to make the programme successful.
The senior Jamaat leader said the party had made it mandatory for the 30,000 Jamaat Rokan (senior members) and 20,000 Shibir members and associate members across the country to join the programme.
Sources within the party said as they feared that the government would create obstacles by stopping cross-country vehicle movement, Jamaat would mainly focus on its activities in the districts surrounding the capital.
The party has asked activists from distant parts of the country to reach Dhaka by today and those from Comilla, Chandpur, Mymensingh, Tangail, Manikganj, Munsiganj and Narayanganj to join the rally on Saturday. They have asked the activists to stay at their relatives’ houses
and to avoid staying at hotels, messes and places that law enforcers normally raid.
Activists from Dhaka’s surrounding districts were asked to walk to Dhaka if transports are turned off.
The sources also said the party had specially asked its student wing activities who are public and private university students to join the march.
The party source told the Dhaka Tribune that the party had already brought senior Shibir leaders from different districts to Dhaka.
Jamaat central leader Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher told the Dhaka Tribune that Jamaat was very active in the programme, including the BNP-organised programmes and the trend of spontaneous participation in party activities by Jamaat will continue in the future.