Hefazat vows to paralyse country unless Women Affairs Reform Commission abolished

Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh has threatened to paralyse the country if all their demands, including the abolition of the Women's Affairs Reform Commission, are not met immediately.

Maulana Junaid Al Habib, the organisation’s central senior vice president and Dhaka city president, delivered the warning while addressing a protest rally in front of the Baitul Mukarram National Mosque in Dhaka after the jumma prayer today.

He declared that Dhaka will come to a standstill tomorrow (Saturday) if their demands are not met. Hasina left in the face of their movement, and the current government would not even require that. “The government’s time is until tomorrow. If a decision is not made by tomorrow, the country will be brought to standstill, set to fire.”

Their demands include abolition of the women’s affairs reform commission, cancellation of its report which is against Al-Quran, restoration of faith and trust in Allah in the constitution instead of pluralism, withdrawal of all trumped up cases filed during the fascist regime, trial of Shapla Chattar and other massacres, and end to Muslim persecution in Palestine and India.

To press home the demands, the organisation’s Paltan unit organised a rally at the Suhrawardy Udyan on Saturday. 

In the protest rally on Friday, Maulana Junaid Al Habib said people from across the country will participate in the rally on Saturday. Some 42 buses were already ready to depart Dinajpur for Dhaka, while around 4,500 people will be coming from Barishal by launches.

He urged all to throng the Suhrawardy Udyan with processions after the Fajr prayer on the day. 

Hefazat's central nayeb-e ameer Maulana Mohiuddin Rabbani said an ultimatum will be announced from the rally. “If the cases against Hefazat leaders and religious scholars are not withdrawn and the women's commission is not abolished, we will launch stricter programmes.” 

Among other leaders who addressed the rally are central nayeb-e ameers Maulana Sarwar Kamal Azizi, Ahmed Ali Qasemi, central joint secretaries general Maulana Azizul Haque Islamabadi, Maulana Mir Idris, and Paltan unit adviser and central nayeb-e ameer Maulana Abdul Qayyum Sobhani.

Following the rally, a procession led by Hefazat’s Paltan zone president Maulana Salah Uddin marched from Baitul Mukarram mosque to Bijoynagar intersection via Paltan.

Meanwhile, Ahle Hadith Andolon Bangladesh held a human chain and protest rally at the national mosque's northern gate, demanding the abolition of the women’s affairs reform commission and the cancellation of its report.

Besides, the National Revolutionary Council arranged another protest march calling for an end to the genocide in Gaza and the establishment of an independent Palestine.

They protested the US President Donald Trump’s plan for illegal occupation of Gaza and demanded an end to ethnic cleansing there.