Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman on Monday said he wanted to bring extortionists back to an honourable life by providing them with dignified work, even offering personal support if poverty was the root cause.
“I want to embrace extortionists and hand them honourable work. If they are truly involved in extortion due to poverty, I am willing to share the sustenance provided by Allah,” he said while addressing an election rally at Shaheed Abrar Fahad Stadium in Kushtia in the morning.
Dr Shafiqur said Jamaat-e-Islami has refrained from filing false cases, claiming that each of the party’s eight cases names only one accused. “We have not accused anyone falsely, nor have we filed any false cases. In contrast, others have filed cases implicating hundreds of people. These cases have become a business,” he alleged.
He also criticised what he described as harassment of women during the election period, saying: “Some people, confused by our election campaign, have laid hands on mothers and sisters. We remind them that they too have mothers and sisters at home. We are committed to protecting the honour of women at any cost.”
Expressing concern over alleged extortion linked to a rice mill in Kushtia, the Jamaat Ameer claimed that trucks transporting rice from the mill were being charged Tk5,000 each as “private rent.”
“Rice from this mill is sent across the country. Everyone—from truck drivers to mill owners—is distressed,” he said, adding that Jamaat-e-Islami aims to ensure dignified livelihoods for all. “We will also give honourable work to those who engage in extortion, so that they too can live with dignity in this country.”
Referring to the upcoming elections, Dr Shafiqur said: “Many parties have been given the responsibility of running Bangladesh in phases. We have seen how they have governed. This time, we want to see the scales,” he added, alluding to Jamaat-e-Islami’s electoral symbol.
