Bangladesh’s Islamist party projects force with a big rally in Dhaka

DHAKA Bangladesh AP Hundreds of thousands of supporters of Bangladesh s largest Islamist party rallied in the capital on Saturday to show their strength ahead of elections expected next year as the South Asian nation stands a t a crossroads after the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina An interim cabinet headed by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus disclosed the next electoral contest would be held in April but his administration did not rule out a possibility of polls in February as strongly demanded by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its allies Jamaat-e-Islami which had sided with Pakistan during Bangladesh s war of independence in stated earlier it would mobilize million people on Saturday While Hasina was in power from until she was toppled in student-led protests last year and fled to India top leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami were either executed or jailed on charges of crimes against humanity and other serious crimes in In late march in Pakistan s military had launched a violent crackdown on the city of Dhaka then part of East Pakistan to quell a rising nationalist movement seeking independence for what is currently known as Bangladesh The party on Saturday placed a seven-point demand to the Yunus-led administration to ensure a free fair and peaceful poll the trial of all mass killings essential reforms and proclamation and implementation of a charter involving last year s mass uprising It also wants the introduction of a proportional representation system in the referendum Thousands of supporters of Jamaat-e-Islami had spent the night on the Dhaka University campus before the rally On Saturday morning they continued to stream toward the Suhrawardy Udyan a historical ground where the Pakistani army had surrendered to a joint force of India and Bangladesh on Dec in ending the nine-month war We are here for a new Bangladesh where Islam would be the guiding principle of governance where good and honest people will rule the country and there will be no corruption Iqbal Hossain informed The Associated Press We will sacrifice our lives if necessary for this cause Multiple of the young supporters in their s and s were also present Under Jamaat-e-Islami this country will have no discrimination All people will have their rights Because we follow the path of the holy book Quran Mohidul Morsalin Sayem a -year-old pupil reported If all the Islamist parties join hands soon nobody will be able to take power from us It was the first time the party was allowed to hold a rally on this ground since To multiple the decision signaled a shift supported by Yunus authorities in which Islamists are gaining momentum with further fragmentation of Bangladesh s politics and shrinking of liberal forces Hasina whose father was the independence leader and the country s first president is a fierce political rival of Jamaat-e-Islami The party is expected to contest parliamentary seats and is attempting to forge alliances with other Islamist groups and parties in hopes of becoming a third force in the country behind the BNP headed by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and Hasina s former ruling Awami League party The party has a close connection with a new political party formed by students who led the anti-Hasina uprising Both Jamaat-e-Islami and the students National Citizen Party also promote anti-India campaign The Yunus-led administration has banned the Awami League and Hasina has been in exile in India since Aug She is facing charges of crimes against humanity The United Nations explained in February that up to people may have been killed during the anti-Hasina uprising in July-August last year Source