Jamaat not a party of angels: Shafiqur

Opposition’s Leader and Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman said his party is not composed of angels and its members make mistakes.

He made these remarks in a conference organized by Jamaat’s Dhaka District at the Institution of Diploma Engineers in Dhaka on Friday.

Shafiqur added, “We are human beings; we also make mistakes. We have made one thing clear: injustice and Jamaat do not go together. It does not mean that we do no wrong. We can also have mistakes, injustices, faults, and crimes.”

He noted, “We have called upon those who love the country and the nation to point out any injustice or crime they see from us. We promise that we will correct ourselves from those things.”

Addressing the party’s activists, Shafiqur told them, “If you wear white clothes, you must be even more careful. There is no concession in Jamaat-e-Islami on the question of morality.”

He explained that while the party would attempt to allow members to continue their duties through correction for tolerable levels of violations, they would have no choice but to take tough decisions if those violations become serious.

Regarding the issue of constitutional reform, Shafiqur asserted that if necessary reforms are not settled within Parliament, they will be achieved through programs on the streets. He said, “The people voted in favor of reform, not for public aspirations to be ignored in the name of constitutional amendment.”

Shafiqur remarked, “While the home minister speaks on all matters, he is failing to perform the duties of his own ministry. Extortion, terrorism, and the spread of drugs in the country have reached alarming levels.”