Leader of the Opposition Shafiqur Rahman greets Eid guests at Minto Road

"We want to see a world where there is no violence and strife, where no one plays with human lives through wars and conflicts,” he says

Jamaat-e-Islami chief Shafiqur Rahman is exchanging Eid greetings at his official residence on Minto Road.

The event, which began a little before 3pm, is scheduled to continue until 4:30pm.

The leader of the opposition is exchanging greetings with his party's leaders and activists, political leaders and people from different walks of life.

At that time, the Jamaat chief was accompanied by the party's Nayeb-e-Ameer ATM Azharul Islam, the party's Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar, Assistant Secretary Hamidur Rahman Azad, Assistant Secretary General Abdul Halim, Executive Council Members Mubarak Hossain and Md Abdul Mannan and Secretary of the Publicity Department Advocate Matiur Rahman Akand.

Among the guests were Maj Akhtaruzzaman, Dainik Sangram Editor Abul Asad, Gono Odhikar Parishad spokesperson Faruk Hasan, and Rashed Pradhan of the National Democratic Party.

At one point, Shafiqur spoke to the media about his message to the diplomats in attendance, saying: "The people we met this morning were mainly foreign diplomats. Through them, we wanted to send a message to the world that we want a world of harmony, brotherhood, and friendship.

"We want to see a world where there is no violence and strife, where no one plays with human lives through wars and conflicts, where there are no longer any fiery bombs."

He also highlighted the different problems facing Bangladesh and said: "And now we are meeting for our beloved Bangladesh, so that we can all build Bangladesh together, by the grace of Allah Almighty. Allah has created us in this country.

"How will we build? We will build it, In Sha Allah, with the teachings of the Quran and Ramadan. The lesson that people learn at the end is to fear Allah. If we can build a society based on the fear of Allah, then no one will fear anyone else. People will love and respect others as they deserve. We need to end this fear."

He said, “No one wants a culture of fear to return to Bangladesh, and neither do we. If someone wants to bring back that culture - whoever it is - we will stand united against it, In Sha Allah.

"We will not let this culture of fear be brought back to Bangladesh."

He commented that the joy of Eid would have been “whole” if there had been no “suffering” and “trouble” during the Eid journeys.

"You all know that this time people have suffered a lot. A lot of suffering and hardship due to various reasons. I don't want to repeat it. I have already given my statement in front of the nation on this matter.

"We hope that in the future, this kind of chaos, mismanagement, corruption, and extortion will not happen—that's what we want to hope for."

The opposition leader is exchanging greetings at the official residence although he is not currently living there.

Earlier today, he exchanged greetings with diplomats from various missions in Dhaka from 11am to 12:30pm.

A banner with the picture of the Jamaat chief has been hung in front of the gate of the residence at 29 Minto Road. It extends Eid greetings to the public.

Inside the residence, a pavilion has been set up with a stage on one side, from where the opposition leader is exchanging greetings with everyone. A separate pavilion has been set up for women.

Arrangements have been made for guests to sit inside the pavilion and for an Islamic cultural programme with entertainment for guests, which includes Quran recitation, poetry, and hymns of praise.

The old-fashioned two-storey building allocated for the leader of the opposition in parliament is associated with two important chapters in the history of Bangladesh's politics. At one time, the building was red. However, now that colour has changed following renovation work.

After becoming leader of the opposition for the fifth parliament in 1991, Awami League President Sheikh Hasina moved into this house.

Then, from 1996 to 2001, then leader of the opposition and late BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia regularly worked at the residence.

After she vacated the house in 2001, no opposition leader has lived there for the past 25 years.

The house was bustling with the presence of political leaders and activists on Saturday.