“If the neighbouring country
claims to be our biggest friend, why have you given Bangladesh’s biggest killer
shelter? Not only did you give her shelter, you also allowed her to make
statements disregarding diplomatic norms and the mutual relations between the
two countries,” he said.
Dr Shafiqur made the remarks
on Sunday afternoon while addressing a programme titled “July Mass Uprising – Justice, Merit Evaluation and
the Future of Bangladesh”, organised to mark “36 July”, at
Shaheed Abu Sayeed Convention Centre in Eskaton, Dhaka.
“We condemn this. You will
act like an enemy but boast that you are a friend. The people of Bangladesh are
not so foolish,” he said.
Referring to the Awami League
leaders who fled the country following the July uprising, the Jamaat chief said
those who had left the country were now “peeping in” and occasionally making
statements suggesting they would return.
He questioned why Sheikh
Hasina left the country if she was so confident about her position.
Dr Shafiqur also mocked
Hasina’s remarks about her intended destination after leaving Bangladesh,
saying she had suggested that she wanted to go to Gopalganj but ended up
elsewhere.
He claimed that several phone
calls were made to a neighbouring country over three days seeking shelter.
“Was she calling India to go
to Gopalganj? The nation no longer wants to see or hear such mockery,” he said.
On the July 2024 uprising, Dr
Shafiqur said fascism had been removed from power, but warned that fascism
should not return in another form.
“Fascism is a virus. It is
not a person. It sits on a person and turns whoever it finds into a fascist,”
he said.
He added that anyone
repeating the same actions for which the previous government had been labelled
fascist would also have to be described as fascist.
“If we call someone else’s
son a terrorist for doing something wrong, we must call our own son a terrorist
if he does the same thing,” he said.
Dr Shafiqur said the July
movement had sought to remove discrimination and divisions and build a united
nation.
Citing United Nations
figures, he said more than 1,400 people were killed during the movement.
Students, ordinary citizens, workers and religious scholars took part, while he
claimed 600 to 700 of those killed were ordinary workers.
He questioned the government’s
commitment to building a merit-based society, saying competent, honest and
patriotic officials were allegedly being sidelined through transfers and other
administrative measures.
“We have raised this issue in
parliament, but we have not seen any change,” he said.
He warned those currently in
power against repeating the behaviour of the previous regime.
“We were all oppressed
before. Why are the oppressed now becoming oppressors? When the oppressed
become oppressors, their fate becomes even worse than that of the previous
oppressors,” he said.
Dr Shafiqur also urged
political leaders not to become arrogant with power, noting that political
circumstances could change at any time.
At the programme, speakers
stressed the need to uphold justice and establish a merit-based state to honour
those who died during the July uprising.
NDF President Prof Dr Md
Nazrul Islam said the courage shown by doctors and healthcare workers during
the July movement was exemplary. He said the NDF remained committed to building
a just, merit-based and humane Bangladesh.
The event was moderated by
NDF Secretary General Prof Dr Mahmud Hossain.
Jamaat Secretary General Mia
Golam Parwar and Dhaka South City Jamaat Ameer Md Nurul Islam Bulbul, among
others, addressed the programme.
Doctors, students, families
of those killed and injured during the uprising, researchers, journalists and
cultural figures attended the event.
Eleven individuals and organisations were also honoured for outstanding contributions to healthcare, nursing, medical technology, health journalism, blood services, humanitarian assistance and institutional healthcare.
Tuesday, September 1, 2026
Published Date : August 10, 2026
