Staff Reporter:
Shafiqur Rahman, the ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami, has commented that Sheikh Hasina’s government carried out a “clear genocide” to suppress the Anti-Discrimination Student and Public Movement and no one has the right to pardon those involved in this genocide.
He made these remarks during the opening session of Jamaat-e-Islami’s central Majlis-e-Shura at Al-Falah Hall in Moghbazar, Dhaka, on Thursday morning.
Earlier, at an event on Tuesday, Jamaat-e-Islami’s ameer had called for an end to the “politics of hatred and revenge” in the country, stating: “We have forgiven what has been done to us as a party, for the sake of Allah.”
Explaining this statement at the Majlis-e-Shura session, Shafiqur Rahman referred to past movements and said: “No one has the right to forgive those people who were behind this genocide. For the past 15 and a half years, we have faced hostility, our registration was revoked, our offices were sealed, we were not allowed to carry out our activities freely, and we were subjected to repeated harassment. In the end, a desperate government, in its last moments, banned us to soothe their own feelings. We have said we will not take revenge.”
Shafiqur Rahman continued: “Not taking revenge means we will not take the law into our own hands. However, those who have committed specific crimes will face legal action and punishment.”
Referring to the brutal suppression of the student and public movement, he said: “In an effort to retain power at any cost, hundreds of people were killed. This was a clear genocide. Not only on land but also from the sky.. Internet services were completely shut down, and the bodies of those killed were concealed.”
He also pointed to the video that circulated on social media showing bodies piled in a van in Ashulia.
The Jamaat-e-Islami Amir said: “There were piles of bodies on the truck, which were then set on fire. What kind of civilization are we living in? We demand that those responsible for this genocide be brought to justice.”
He also emphasized the need for accountability for wealthy and business looters, saying: “Some clever wealthy individuals have plundered the country’s resources, emptied the banks, and taken the money abroad. This money belongs to 180 million people. These individuals must be brought to justice and the money must be recovered. They cannot be forgiven.”
At the beginning of his speech, Shafiqur Rahman alleged that five top leaders of the party were sentenced to death based on “false information and fabricated court verdicts” for war crimes from 1971. He also remembered the 11 leaders who were sentenced to death and have since passed away.
In his lengthy address, Shafiqur Rahman highlighted instances of abductions, killings, torture, office sealing, arrests, and legal cases against the party’s leaders and activists over the past 15 and a half years. He stated that not only Jamaat-e-Islami but also the opposition party BNP and numerous scholars faced similar tyranny, though the scale and intensity against Jamaat-e-Islami were different.
He urged everyone to remain vigilant to ensure that the changes achieved through the revolution of hundreds of students and the public are not undone.
It was announced by Jamaat-e-Islami that this session of the central Majlis-e-Shura, with the direct participation of its members from across the country, was held for the first time in 13 and a half years.
