Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman has said that if his party is elected in the upcoming national election, it will form a government that includes the BNP and all political parties.

He said this remark while speaking at a youth–student and citizens’ rally organised by the party’s Dhaka-17 unit in the capital’s Bhashantek area on Friday morning.

“We do not want to see a divided nation anymore. Those who divide the nation are its enemies,” he said. He also claimed that Jamaat has no history of corruption, extortion or misuse of public resources.

Dr Rahman said the election, expected to be held before Ramadan in February, will allow people to choose the party they trust.

“If the people choose us, we will invite all parties and all political forces to join us. We will congratulate the winners, and with everyone’s support, we will build the country together, InshaAllah,” he stated.

Referring to remarks by some political groups that they would form a government with all anti-fascist forces except Jamaat, he said, “If Allah wills and the people elect us, we will not exclude you. We will work with everyone to build the country.” He reiterated that anyone working against unity is “an enemy of the nation”.

The Jamaat Ameer also criticised past political practices and said a “new formula” is needed to build a “new Bangladesh”. He argued that fascism has not disappeared but remains present in various forms, pointing to what he described as corruption, extortion, land grabbing and assaults on women as ongoing symptoms.

Acknowledging his party’s lack of experience in wrongdoing, he said, “We admit we do not have the experience of stealing public wealth, extorting through party cadres, creating terror in educational institutions or indulging in corruption from top to bottom.”

Dr Rahman lamented that despite sacrifice and bloodshed, the people have not enjoyed the true benefits of independence. He questioned why Bangladesh has not been able to stand proudly on the world stage despite abundant mineral and maritime resources.

He also said Jamaat never fled the country. “We were migrants inside our own land. We held on to the soil, embraced the nation, endured imprisonment and made sacrifices. But we never ran away. We stayed because we love this country, this land and its people.”