Tarique joins Jamaat’s Iftar party

Prime Minister Tirique Rahman has attended an Iftar party hosted by Jamaat-e-Islami, the main opposition in parliament, calling for a collective oath to "change the nation’s fortune".

The event, held at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) in Agargaon, saw the prime minister sharing a table with Jamaat chief Shafiqur Rahman and top leaders from both the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat.

 “We have gathered here at a critical juncture for the country,” Tarique said in a brief address, thanking his hosts.

 “Let us take an oath in the name of Allah that our future actions will be dedicated to changing the destiny of the people of this country,” he said.

Reflecting on the political transition, Tarique said the journey of democracy has resumed through the recent elections -- a goal for which the people had struggled for over a decade, facing "oppression, torture, enforced disappearances, and killings”.

"The people are looking toward political parties with great expectations and aspirations," he said. "Through immense sacrifice and the suffering of thousands, we have regained the opportunity to exercise our freedom of speech and democratic rights. For this, let us first express our gratitude to the Almighty."

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, Education Minister ANM Ehsanul Hoque Milon, and BNP Standing Committee members Mirza Abbas and Abdul Moyeen Khan were among those present.

Other notable attendees included Khelafat Majlis chief Mamunul Haque, Jamaat deputy chief and MP Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher, Nagorik Oikko President Mahmudur Rahman Manna, LDP President Oli Ahmed, and Dhaka University Central Students’ Union Vice-President Shadik Kayem.