Jamaat's National Rally at Suhrawardy Udyan for the First Time in History

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has held countless political programmes at various locations across the capital, such as Purana Paltan, Baitul Mukarram, and Paltan Maidan. However, party leaders say that their upcoming ‘national rally’ scheduled on 19 July at Suhrawardy Udyan will mark something different, something special for Jamaat.

Party leaders note that this will be Jamaat-e-Islami’s first-ever political rally at Suhrawardy Udyan in the party’s history. Jamaat has never held a party rally on Suhrawardy Udyan before.

Just as political disagreements and debates intensify among various parties ahead of the 13th National Parliamentary Election, Jamaat is preparing for this event. The party aims to ensure a memorable presence at this rally to be held at the Suhrawardy Udyan.

The rally is scheduled to begin at 2:00 pm on 19 July. Under the supervision of the party’s Amir and top leadership, organisational efforts are already underway in Dhaka and across the country to make this rally a success. Jamaat’s goal is to stage a large-scale gathering quietly, to send shockwaves across the political circle.

Following the political shift after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government on 5 August last year, several organisations including BNP and Islami Andolon held large rallies in Dhaka. Among them, Islami Andolan, Olama Mashayekh Bangladesh, and Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh organised huge gatherings at Suhrawardy Udyan on separate agenda.

Meanwhile, BNP held multiple rallies at Nayapaltan. Jamaat, however, has only held one notable rally in Dhaka, at Purana Paltan, demanding the release of its jailed (now released) leader ATM Azharul Islam.

Jamaat-e-Islami Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher told, “Jamaat-e-Islami has never held a public rally at Suhrawardy Udyan on its own. This will be our first such rally there.”

Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher added that the rally aims to generate public opinion on holding a fair election, ensuring a level playing field before the election, introducing proportional representation (PR) system in elections, and holding local government elections prior to the national elections.

Founded in Lahore back in 1941, Jamaat-e-Islami started its political activities in Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh simultaneously. The party, which opposed the Liberation War of 1971, was later banned by the government.

At one point of the political shift following the killing of the then president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975 the ban was lifted under Major General Ziaur Rahman’s regime in 1977. Jamaat resumed its activities in May 1979 under the leadership of Abbas Ali Khan. Its first public rally in independent Bangladesh was held in front of the Baitul Mukarram Mosque in 1980.

Senior leaders of Jamaat said that the party has never held a rally at Suhrawardy Udyan in the past 45 years since it resumed activities in 1979. They only participated in joint rallies while they were in alliances with BNP.

So, Jamaat is seeing the upcoming rally as a significant event and a means of demonstrating public support ahead of the national elections. A committee, led by party secretary general Mia Golam Porwar, has been formed to implement the programme, along with several subcommittees led by other central leaders.

At a party event in Dhaka on Friday, Jamaat secretary general Mia Golam Porwar announced the rally. He said that having an environment to hoist the flag of Islam and forge unity among Islamic forces on this land soaked with the blood of the martyrs is a shared desire of all.

With this desire he announced the upcoming national rally at Suhrawardy Udyan on 19 July saying that rally is a turning point for that. The Jamaat secretary general then called on everyone to play their role in making it a success.