Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman has vowed to serve the people of the country rather than assuming a position of authority if his party is entrusted with the responsibility of leading the country in the future.
“If given the responsibility to lead the country, we will not be the master of the people but the servants of this nation,” he said during a member conference in Naogaon on Saturday.
The Naogaon unit of Jamaat-e-Islami organised the conference at the Nowjoan Eidgah grounds.
The Jamaat Ameer emphasised the party’s intent to earn public trust through direct engagement, stating that Jamaat-e-Islami members would go door to door to seek cooperation and express gratitude for the support received.
He highlighted the importance of learning from past leaders’ mistakes, warning against the pitfalls of authoritarianism. “We have seen the consequences faced by those who assumed the role of masters in the past, both in distant and recent history. It is a lesson for all of us.”
“The nation must move forward and Jamaat-e-Islami advocates for a broader national unity, regardless of political affiliation, religion or background,” Shafiqur also said.
He expressed the party’s resolve to foster unity for the country and the people’s interests, stressing the need to end the divisions plaguing the nation.
Reflecting on the July-August movement, he acknowledged the contributions of countless people across the country. “This movement was not confined to a specific ideology; it was a struggle for the liberation of the people,” he said.
He attributed the movement’s success to the sacrifices of the nation’s youth and claimed that the involvement of the 180 million people of Bangladesh was instrumental in driving the movement forward.
The Jamaat leader warned against attempts to divide the movement along party lines and called on politicians to take responsibility for fulfilling the aspirations of those who had sacrificed their lives for the country.
Kh M Abdul Rakib, the Ameer of Jamaat’s Naogaon district unit and a member of the central Majlis-e-Shura, presided over the meeting.
