Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman has said his party wants to work together with all political forces in the interest of the country.
He made the remarks while speaking to journalists on Thursday evening (January 1) after meeting BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman.
Dr Shafiqur Rahman visited the BNP chairperson’s political office in Gulshan around 7:00pm, where he met Tarique Rahman and expressed condolences to him and his bereaved family over the death of former prime minister and BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed were also present at the meeting.
Speaking after the meeting, the Jamaat ameer said Begum Khaleda Zia had received divine reward for her contributions to the nation.
“The contribution she made to the nation has been repaid by Allah. Seeing this, we too feel inspired. If we can make similar contributions to the nation, perhaps the people of this country will one day bid us farewell in the same way. This kind of honour does not come to everyone,” he said.
He described the current moment as a critical juncture for the country, noting that a general election and a referendum would be held on the same day—one to form a government and the other on reforms.
“We pray that the election scheduled for the 12th is peaceful, fair, and acceptable,” he said.
Dr Shafiqur Rahman said they had discussed these issues during the meeting and reiterated that Jamaat and BNP had worked together in the past in the national interest and would continue to do so in the future.
“Tarique Rahman and BNP leaders expressed the same aspiration, and we echoed it as well. We even discussed whether all of us could think together to create a positive environment for the sake of national stability over the next five years,” he said.
He added that Jamaat would like to sit together again immediately after the election, before the formation of the new government, to hold open discussions and make decisions in the interest of the nation.
“Asking for your prayers, we hope we can fulfil our responsibilities from the platform of unity that Madam Khaleda Zia helped to build,” he said.
Jamaat-e-Islami Assistant Secretary General and head of the central publicity and media department Advocate Ehsanul Mahbub Zubair, central executive council members Saiful Alam Khan Milon and Mobarak Hossain accompanied the Jamaat ameer during the meeting.
