Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman has said that Satkhira has witnessed the highest level of crimes and injustices in the country.
“No other district has faced such a situation. The homes of our leaders and activists were demolished with bulldozers. Did they commit any crime?” he said.
He made the comments while addressing a large public rally as the chief guest at the Satkhira Government Boys’ High School ground on Tuesday afternoon.
Recalling his visit to Satkhira in 2015, Dr Shafiqur Rahman said he had come not for sightseeing but to inquire about the families of 45 people he described as martyrs.
“I came to stand beside their parents, to honour the widowed mothers and sisters, to wipe the tears of children who had lost their fathers, and to share the pain of young men who were brutally injured,” he said.
He said that during his tour of different upazilas in 2015, residents had complained of long-standing deprivation and neglect. Many, he added, told him that Satkhira was treated like a stepchild and not given due importance by the government.
Dr Shafiqur Rahman claimed that Satkhira had been deliberately deprived of development for taking a stand for justice and fairness.
“They thought this situation would last forever, but Allah gives honour to whom He wills and takes it away from whom He wills,” he said.
Describing Jamaat-e-Islami as the most persecuted political party in the country, he said many of its leaders and activists had been killed, forcibly disappeared or executed.
He also alleged that the party’s registration and symbol were cancelled and that the party was banned at one stage, while many supporters were detained and tortured.
He said the biggest "crime" of the people of Satkhira was standing for justice and fairness, adding that those who uphold justice are ultimately honoured.
Referring to the recent political situation, Dr Shafiqur Rahman said Jamaat had called on its supporters to remain calm and take responsibility for maintaining public safety. “We do not believe in politics of revenge,” he said.
He added that party leaders and activists had been instructed not to damage any individual or state property.
“There has been no extortion by our activists in Satkhira or elsewhere. No one has been falsely implicated. Legal action has been taken only against those involved in crimes,” he claimed.
Noting that other opposition parties, including the BNP, had also suffered over the past 15 years, he said journalists, Islamic scholars and people from various professions had faced repression. He stressed the need to establish justice and fairness, warning that the oppressed often later become oppressors.
Seeking support in Satkhira’s four parliamentary constituencies, the Jamaat Ameer said the party aimed to establish justice, fairness and a people’s government, guided by the principles of the Charter of Medina.
He also pledged strict action against syndicates and extortionists to control rising commodity prices, saying a separate pay scale would be introduced for workers in risky professions and fair wages ensured for those who devote more time to serving the country.
On voting, he said: “There are two choices—yes and no. Yes means freedom, no means subjugation,” and urged voters to cast their ballots in unity. He also called on the youth to support change and ensure victory for the Scales symbol in Satkhira’s four constituencies.
