Jamaat chief Shafiqur pledges parliamentary, street campaign to break ‘market syndicates’

He says middlemen, extortion and syndicates are pushing up prices for consumers

Jamaat-e-Islami chief Shafiqur Rahman has pledged to continue the struggle both inside and outside parliament to dismantle the syndicates controlling the prices of essential goods.

The leader of the opposition visited the Shah Ali wholesale kitchen market in Dhaka's Mirpur-1 at 6am on Tuesday.

During his visit, he argued that middleman interference, price-fixing syndicates, and extortion are preventing traders from operating fairly, while consumers are being denied reasonable prices.

He said farmers are not getting fair returns for their produce as others are pocketing the profits, adding that he would continue a sustained fight to break the cycle.

"We will not stop. Our voice, our protest, and our demands will persist everywhere," Shafiqur said. "This country can only be improved together."

“No single party, no individual can do it alone. It needs the people’s support,” he added.

The veteran leader said the visit was not a symbolic exercise but an attempt to understand the market situation firsthand.

Referring to his return from Japan on May 9, he said journalists had asked him at the airport about rising market instability and public suffering.

“I told them I will not speak without seeing the market. I have come here to observe it myself,” he said, adding that he would also review wholesale supply chains and production hubs if needed.

During the visit, Shafiqur invited local traders to share their grievances.

When one businessman pointed to “exorbitant shop rents and widespread extortion”, the Jamaat chief assured him of his party's support.

“To stop extortion, resistance is needed. We will resist together,” he added.