Govt, Opposition Must Work Together to Protect Hindu Community’s Rights and Security: Dr. Shafiqur Rahman

Dr Shafiqur Rahman, Ameer of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, has said the government and opposition must work together to protect the rights, security and interests of the Hindu community.

“Bangladesh is our beloved homeland. None of us is a minority or majority in this country. Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Christians and ethnic minority communities are all Bangladeshis and proud citizens of this country. Protecting the country’s independence and sovereignty is a sacred duty for all of us. We must work together, hand in hand and shoulder to shoulder, for the country’s development and prosperity,” he said.

His remarks were conveyed by Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar at a press briefing following a meeting with Hindu community leaders at the Leader of the Opposition’s official residence on Minto Road in the capital on Tuesday.

The meeting was attended by leaders and representatives of various Hindu community organisations, along with senior Jamaat-e-Islami leaders, including Assistant Secretary General and Central Publicity and Media Secretary Advocate Ehsanul Mahbub Zubayer, Central Executive Council members Mobarak Hossain and Dr Shafiqul Islam Masud, MP.

Representatives of the Bangladesh National Hindu Grand Alliance included its president, Advocate Dinubandhu Roy, and secretary general, Advocate Gobinda Chandra Pramanik. Leaders of the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, the Bangladesh Puja Celebration Council, the Bangladesh Puja Celebration Front and the Metropolitan Universal Puja Committee also attended.

Representatives from the Hindu Religious Welfare Trust, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), the Bangladesh Rishi Panchayat Forum, the Bangladesh Sanatan Party, the Bangladesh Ravidas Forum, the Bholanand Giri Ashram Trust and the Bangladesh Ravidas Development Council were also present.

The meeting further included representatives of the Bangladesh Adivasi Forum, the Bangladesh Harijan Unity Council and the Bangladesh National Hindu Social Reform Association. Senior Supreme Court lawyer Subrata Chowdhury and other prominent members of the Hindu community also attended.