Bangladesh opposition leader: India visits must be based on equality, reject hegemony

Shafiqur Rahman, leader of the opposition and chief of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, has asserted that any visits by the prime minister to neighboring India, or any other nation, must be founded on principles of equality, mutual respect, and genuine friendship. He declared that the Bangladeshi people will no longer tolerate any form of hegemony, emphasizing their desire for relations built on equal footing.

Addressing a conference of Jamaat-e-Islami members in Rajshahi, Rahman also called upon Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to tackle the pervasive issues of extortion, corruption, and bribery within the country. He suggested that these practices would cease if the prime minister possessed the genuine will to stop them, posing the question of whether such a desire exists.

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The people of this country will no longer accept anyone’s hegemony. They want relations with India based on friendship, mutual respect and equality.

Rahman, whose party is viewed by many as an ideological organization dedicated to promoting Islamic values and building an ideal society, instructed party leaders and activists to stand by the populace. He stressed the importance of their role in ensuring the right to vote in the upcoming local government elections, urging them to actively prevent any attempts to disenfranchise voters.

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If he wants, these practices will stop. The key question is whether he wants to.