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Published : 19 Jul 2025, 06:12 PM
Jamaat-e-Islami chief Shafiqur Rahman has said if his party comes to power, it will work as a servant of the people instead of being their master.
At the party’s national rally at Dhaka’s Suhrawardy Udyan on Saturday, he said: “In the future, those who will be elected as members of parliament or ministers, will not accept any government-allotted plots or ride in duty-free cars. No MP or minister will personally handle money transactions.”
Expressing a firm commitment to building a corruption-free Bangladesh, the Jamaat chief said: “If you ask, what will the future Bangladesh look like? I would say, there will be another struggle. There has already been a struggle against 'fascism'; another battle will be against corruption.
“To uproot corruption, we will unite the strength of our youths to achieve victory in that fight.”
Shafiqur presided over the rally at Suhrawardy Udyan.
He began his speech at around 5pm, and around 5:25pm, he fell ill and collapsed on stage while delivering the closing address.
He was helped to his feet by party leaders standing beside him and attempted to resume his address. However, he lost his balance and collapsed a second time within moments.
A microphone announcement soon followed, saying the party chief had fallen ill due to the heat. Though he was advised not to continue, Shafiqur insisted on finishing his speech seated.
Jamaat's rally came to an end about 10 minutes later as Shafiqur concluded his remarks.
The rally was organised to press home seven demands, including justice for all mass killings and the introduction of a proportional representation (PR) voting system.
Though Jamaat had previously held events in front of the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque and nearby areas like Paltan, this was the first time the Islamist party held a public rally at Suhrawardy Udyan, drawing a massive crowd of activists.
In his speech as the president of the rally, Shafiqur said: “If people like Abu Sayed had not stood with courage for the liberation of this nation, perhaps we would not see this Bangladesh today. Many more lives might have been taken by fascists by now.”
He added, “As long as Allah grants me life, I will continue to fight for the people. This struggle will not stop. Our fight will continue until the liberation is achieved.”
