Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman has said the country can be transformed into a fertile, just and welfare-orientated state if his party and its 10-party electoral alliance are voted to power, pledging priority development for the long-neglected northern region.
Speaking at a rally of the alliance at the SM Pilot High School ground in Palashbari Upazila in Gaibandha on Friday, he said years of misrule and neglect had turned once-navigable rivers in northern Bangladesh into what he described as “dead rivers”, severely affecting agriculture and livelihoods.
Dr Shafiqur said rivers that previously supported shipping were now unable to carry even small boats, contributing to declining farm productivity and growing hardship for local communities. He said reviving these rivers would be a key focus of a Jamaat-led government.
He said if the alliance formed the government with public support, attention would be given to restoring waterways and transforming North Bengal into an agriculture-based economic hub. He added that no meaningful development had taken place in the region over the past one and a half decades, pushing large areas towards desertification.
The Jamaat leader said his party aimed to ensure food security by restoring rivers, expanding irrigation systems and supporting farmers who he said were being deprived of fair prices by extortionists and middlemen. He pledged to eliminate such practices and ensure farmers received proper returns for their produce.
Addressing employment and education, Dr Shafiqur said unemployed young people would be brought under technical training programmes to help turn them into skilled workers. He also announced plans to establish agricultural universities in Gaibandha, citing the region’s farming potential and the urgent need for specialised higher education institutions.
He further pledged to implement the long-delayed plan to establish an Export Processing Zone in Gaibandha, saying it would help create jobs and enable local products to reach national and international markets.
On broader political issues, Dr Shafiqur said Jamaat sought to build a Bangladesh free from corruption, injustice and domination, while maintaining friendly relations with all civilised nations and rejecting foreign influence over national affairs.
He described the upcoming general election scheduled for 12 February as a “public referendum”, urging voters to support fundamental change and honour those who died during past political movements. He said many young people had been deprived of the right to vote for years and called for an end to what he described as a corrupt system.
Outlining further development plans, he promised improvements in healthcare through the gradual establishment of medical colleges in every district and the development of specialised hospitals through public and private initiatives. He also said Jamaat would work to promote industrial growth in North Bengal so residents would not be forced to migrate to Dhaka in search of work.
Dr Shafiqur also assured residents of Gaibandha that a bridge would be built between Balashi Ghat and Bahadurabad Ghat over the Brahmaputra River to improve communication and accelerate regional development.
He said Jamaat would focus on ensuring quality education, decent employment, youth empowerment, children’s mental development and safe, dignified mobility for women in both public and private spaces.
At the end of the rally, the Jamaat Ameer introduced the alliance-backed candidates for Gaibandha district and sought public support for them. The candidates include Professor Majedur Rahman in Gaibandha-1, Abdul Karim in Gaibandha-2, Principal Maulana Nazrul Islam in Gaibandha-3, Dr Abdur Rahim Sarker in Gaibandha-4 and Bir Muktijoddha Abdul Wares in Gaibandha-5.
The rally was chaired by Gaibandha district Jamaat Ameer Md Abdul Karim and was addressed by senior leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami, Islami Chhatra Shibir and allied parties, including JAGPA Vice-President and spokesman Engineer Rashed Pradhan.
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