United News of Bangladesh

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman on Tuesday said his party would reopen closed mills and factories and establish new industries if it comes to power with people’s mandate. “By the will of Allah and people, if Jamaat is entrusted with state power, closed industries will be reopened alongside the establishment of new factories,” he said while addressing a rally at the Circuit House ground in Khulna. Expressing concerns over the decline of Khulna’s industrial and agricultural sectors, the Jamaat Ameer said a number of factories had been shut down due to wrong policies and widespread looting by previous governments. Read More: Laundering country’s wealth to stop forever if Jamaat comes to power: Shafiqur Rahman Talking about the youth of the country, the Jamaat chief said his party does not want to insult the youth by offering unemployment allowances. “Jamaat wants to put work into their hands, not allowances, and through employment we want to restore the dignity of the youth. I want to repay, even if only a little, the debt for their contribution to the July uprising,” he said. The rally began around 2:00pm, and several thousand leaders and workers of Jamaat-e-Islami gathered at the Circuit House Ground ahead of the scheduled time. The Jamaat Ameer also expressed deep concern over incidents of violence and clashes in different parts of the country centering elections. “One group distributes ‘family cards’ while at the same time engaging in violence against women,” he said. Read More: Protest at DU over Jamaat leader's remarks targeting female students Calling upon those involved in such acts to seek forgiveness, the Jamaat chief urged political parties to place their trust in the people’s verdict. He also urged those attending the rally to protect the voting rights of every man and woman. “Voters should be able to vote for whoever they choose. We want to escort voters safely up to the ballot box. We want a ‘curse-free Bangladesh’ by February 13,” the Jamaat ameer said.