Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman alleged that India has exploited Bangladesh for 53 years under the guise of friendship.
Speaking as the chief guest at a rally held in Jashore this evening (25 December), Shafiqur Rahman said, “India came as a friend but then started looting us. What kind of friendship is this? On 16 December [1971], Pakistani forces surrendered at Racecourse Ground and India took away all the weapons. In 53 years, this so-called friend has not returned a single shell of those ammunitions.”
“What kind of friendship is this?” he questioned.
The Jamaar chief also criticised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tweet on Bangladesh’s Victory Day, stating that it diminished Bangladesh’s significance.
“The prime minister of India posted a six-line tweet about Victory Day, yet not a single line mentioned Bangladesh. According to him, it’s India’s Victory Day. Intellectuals here, who speak loudly about the spirit of independence, have remained silent and have not protested against Modi’s statement,” he said.
Reflecting on the sacrifices of the young people in the mass uprising, he said, “We earned an independent country through the blood of our children. The future of Bangladesh now rests in the hands of our youth. Their sacrifices have not been in vain, and this country will stand as a beacon in the global arena.”
Criticising the Awami League, he said, “The Awami League has created divisions in the country by exploiting it in the name of governance. They have effectively leased this country to India. After gaining independence, we failed to safeguard our freedom, and now we are paying the price for it.”
tbs