Islami Andolan Chief Accuses Govt of Failing to Curb Extortion, Violence

Islami Andolan Bangladesh chief Mufti Syed Muhammad Rezaul Karim accuses the government of failing to curb extortion, violence, corruption and other social ills.

DHAKA, Sept. 30 — Bangladesh’s government has failed to curb extortion, violence, corruption, looting, enforced disappearances and killings, Islami Andolan Bangladesh chief Mufti Syed Muhammad Rezaul Karim said Tuesday.

Speaking at a ward representatives’ conference of the party’s Dhaka north and south city units, Karim, popularly known as the Charmonai Pir, said people had hoped for political and social change through various movements since independence but had not seen the expected improvement in their lives.

He said the country’s existing political and governance practices had failed to bring about the changes people wanted.

“Changing the country’s governing principles is essential,” Karim said, arguing that celebrating the 75th or even 100th anniversary of independence would not improve people’s fortunes if the existing approach continued.

Karim also criticized successive political parties, saying voters had given different parties opportunities to govern but none had been able to bring the desired changes to society and the state under the existing system.

He accused political parties of abandoning their election pledges after coming to power and misleading voters.

Karim said Islami Andolan had never compromised on its principles and would not do so in the future. He expressed hope that his party would bring what he described as a change in the country’s political principles.

Islami Andolan Secretary General Maulana Gazi Ataur Rahman, speaking at the same event, said the party’s top leaders had played a frontline role in the July mass uprising.

He said the party had expected extortion and political deception to end after Aug. 5, but that had not happened in practice.

Rahman also accused the BNP government of delaying the implementation of the July Charter. If the situation continued, he warned, public anger could lead to a major backlash.

Rahman said Islami Andolan had no hidden political agenda and had openly stated that it wanted to implement Islamic Shariah in Bangladesh.

Sheikh Fazlul Karim Maruf, president of the party’s Dhaka south unit, urged activists to strengthen public engagement at the ward level. He called for building public support for Shariah, saying the party wanted its campaign to begin in the wards of Dhaka South.

Atiqur Rahman Mujahid, president of the Dhaka north unit, said the party was moving forward with a defined vision and mission. If elected by the people, he said, the party would seek to develop Dhaka as a “smart city.”

Several other senior leaders addressed the conference, including presidium member Syed Mosaddek Billah Al-Madani, joint secretary general Sheikh Fazle Bari Masud, engineer Ashraful Alam and Dhaka divisional organizing secretary Maulana Ariful Islam.