First-ever Shaheed Minar visit by Jamaat chief draws attention

Jamaat-e-Islami chief Shafiqur Rahman on Saturday said his first-ever visit to the Central Shaheed Minar was made in his official capacity as Leader of the Opposition, dismissing speculation that it signalled any ideological shift within the party.

Speaking to reporters after placing a wreath at the monument in the early hours of International Mother Language Day, he described the visit as a constitutional and ceremonial obligation.

“This is part of state protocol. As the Leader of the Opposition, it is my responsibility to be present with my colleagues,” he said.

The occasion marked the first time a Jamaat chief personally laid flowers at the Shaheed Minar in tribute to the Language Movement martyrs. Although the party’s student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir, has previously observed February 21 with various programmes, senior Jamaat leaders have traditionally refrained from visiting the monument.

Shafiqur’s tribute followed those of the president, the prime minister and the chiefs of the armed forces.

He was accompanied by lawmakers from the Jamaat-led 11-party alliance, including Opposition Chief Whip Nahid Islam and MPs ATM Azharul Islam, Hasnat Abdullah and Akhtar Hossain.

Tension briefly arose during the press interaction when a journalist asked whether Jamaat still considered placing flowers at the Shaheed Minar religiously impermissible.

Appearing displeased, Shafiqur rejected the question. “On such a sacred day, this question should not be raised,” he said.

He added that Jamaat pays respect to martyrs of all democratic movements, including those of 1947 and 1952, the 1971 Liberation War and the 1990 Mass Uprising.

Shafiqur also remembered those killed during the July Uprising, naming Sharif Osman bin Hadi among them.

“The goals for which they laid down their lives are yet to be realised,” he said, pledging to continue the struggle to build what he termed a humane state free from corruption and crime.

Following the briefing, he and his colleagues visited Azimpur graveyard to offer prayers at the graves of the Language Movement martyrs.