The main session of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami’s rally at Suhrawardy Udyan began at 2:00 pm on Saturday with the recitation of the Holy Quran. By that time, the rally venue was packed to full capacity, and the surrounding areas were also crowded.
Earlier, the first session of the national rally had been underway since morning with cultural programs. The formal proceedings started at 9:40 am with the recitation of the Holy Quran, followed by Islamic ideological songs and songs commemorating the July uprising.
A prayer break was observed around 1:20 pm. After the Azan, party leaders and activists prayed in small groups both on the main stage and across the park field.
At the beginning of the main session of the rally, Jamaat Amir Dr. Shafiqur Rahman greeted the leaders and activists. Also present on the stage were the party’s Nayeb-e-Amir Professor Mojibur Rahman, Dr. Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher, ATM Azharul Islam, the president of the student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir Jahidul Islam, and leaders and activists from various levels of the party.
Jamaat is holding this rally with seven demands aimed at ensuring that the upcoming national parliamentary elections are conducted freely, fairly, impartially, and peacefully. Among these demands are: guaranteeing a level playing field for the upcoming national parliamentary elections; prosecuting all genocide cases; implementing necessary fundamental reforms; enforcing the July Charter and manifesto; rehabilitating the families of the martyrs and injured in the July uprising; conducting national elections through the PR (proportional representation) system; and enabling over one million expatriates to cast their votes.