Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Assistant Secretary General Dr Hamidur Rahman Azad said no government has remained in power after ignoring the people’s legitimate demands. Speaking as chief guest at a conference of upazila and thana amirs and secretaries from five Faridpur-region districts on Saturday, he announced a nationwide long-march programme on four major routes beginning September 5. He said the party would seek to compel the government to meet public demands through peaceful and orderly action.

Azad cited what he described as a severe deterioration in law and order, unchecked price rises and public hardship. He said Jamaat-e-Islami was pursuing a constitutional movement both in parliament and on the streets to establish people’s rights. He added that an 11-party alliance movement led by opposition leader Dr Shafiqul Rahman would begin on September 5, and said stronger street protests would follow if the government failed to fulfil public demands.

The first march is scheduled to leave Motijheel’s Shapla Chattar in Dhaka for Chattogram at 7am on September 5 and end with a rally at Laldighi Maidan. A Dhaka-to-Kushtia march is planned for October 31, with further marches toward major divisional cities in September and October.