Dr. Shafiqul Islam Masud, central working committee member and Dhaka South City Secretary of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, issued a stern warning against what he called the “rehabilitation of fascist forces,” pledging united public resistance to any attempt to legitimize those accused of war crimes and authoritarian rule.

Addressing a street rally following a large procession in Baufal on Wednesday, Dr. Masud criticized the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) for abandoning its political identity and aligning with the Awami League, which he described as responsible for decades of oppression.

“The BNP has become politically bankrupt,” he said. “Rather than standing independently, it now seeks survival by clinging to the very regime it once opposed. The people will respond decisively at the ballot box.”

He was responding to remarks reportedly made by BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, who stated that the party would withdraw all cases against Awami League leaders if it returned to power—a move Dr. Masud condemned as a betrayal of justice.

Targeting BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman, currently in London, he added, “Bangladesh cannot be led by someone operating from abroad. If your leader fears returning home and demands bulletproof vehicles for personal safety, how can he protect the nation?”

Dr. Masud reaffirmed Jamaat-e-Islami’s commitment to principle and sacrifice, recalling leaders such as Motiur Rahman Nizami, Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid, Abus Sayeed Chowdhury, and Mughni. “Our leaders embraced the gallows without bowing to domestic tyranny or foreign pressure. We are ready to face bullets to safeguard the nation’s 180 million people,” he said.

He pledged that Jamaat activists would guard polling stations and uphold voter dignity, while highlighting local priorities such as youth employment, construction of the Boga Bridge, anti-erosion measures, toll-free roads, and protection of women’s honor.

The rally drew over a thousand participants and prominent Jamaat figures, including Baufal Upazila Jamaat Chief Maulana Md Ishaq Mia, Nayeb-e-Ameer Maulana Rafiqul Islam, Election Management Committee Chief Abud Daiyan, Labour Welfare Federation President Ridwanullah Master, and Islami Chhatra Shibir President Md Limon Hossain.

Despite being barred from electoral politics since 2013, Jamaat-e-Islami continues grassroots mobilization through allied organizations, presenting itself as a principled alternative amid growing public disillusionment with mainstream parties.