Kushtia’s Jamaat candidate Hamza claims party opposed India in 1971, not Bangladesh’s independence

Speaking at a Victory Day rally in Kushtia, Hamza dismissed claims of Jamaat’s opposition to the Liberation War

Amir Hamza, Kushtia-3 candidate for the Jamaat-e-Islami, has said that his party did not oppose Bangladesh’s Liberation War in 1971.

Addressing a Victory Day rally organised by Jamaat-e-Islami in Kushtia city, the religious leader criticised historical accounts he described as misleading.

“The written history we have read, including Badruddin Umar’s books, contains 90 percent falsehoods about the Liberation War,” he said.

He argued that the Jamaat-e-Islami’s stance in 1971 was not against the freedom struggle but directed against India.

“This is what we are learning now. For so long, this truth was hidden from us,” he said.

Hamza linked this historical perspective to the purpose of the rally.

“Today’s [Tuesday] Victory Day procession reflects that in 1971 we were for our country’s independence and against India’s aggression. That’s why we were portrayed as opponents. Our aim is to free Bangladesh from Indian influence and build an independent-minded nation,” he said.

He urged citizens to look forward rather than dwell on past mistakes. “Those born in this country are all respected citizens. We want to move the nation forward together, forgetting past errors and creating a new history. No party or faction should divide us; we are all Bangladeshis,” Hamza said.