Will not accept any obstruction to long march: Azharul
Published: 18 September 2026, 9:29:25
Collected Photo
Jamaat-e-Islami Nayeb-e-Ameer and MP ATM Azharul Islam has said his party will not accept any obstruction to its Dhaka-to-Rangpur long march scheduled for Saturday.
“If any obstruction is created, we will not accept it. We will ignore the obstruction and move towards Rangpur,” he said at a press conference at the party office in Shapla Chattar, Rangpur city, on Friday.
The press conference was organised ahead of the long march.
Azharul urged the government to respect the demands of the people. He also criticised the government over constitutional reform and said the practice of using a parliamentary majority to amend the Constitution and impose changes on the people should end.
Referring to the Awami League, he said the party had won 265 seats and used state institutions, including the police and army, but eventually could not remain in power.
He urged the government to listen to the people and observe what they were writing on walls across the country.
Azharul also urged the government not to ignore the anti-discrimination student movement, saying failure to meet the demands could affect the implementation of the July Charter.
He called on people to support the demands and participate peacefully in the long march. He also urged the government to take steps in Parliament to reform the Constitution based on consensus.
The Jamaat leader said the long march’s demands included implementation of the referendum verdict, trial of the July killings, resolving shortages of electricity, fuel, gas and fertiliser, controlling the prices of essential commodities, improving law and order, ending partisan control of state institutions, and stopping corruption, extortion and land grabbing.
He said the demands were not those of Jamaat alone but of the people.
The 11-party alliance-led long march will begin from Manik Mia Avenue in Dhaka at 7:00 AM on Saturday. Roadside rallies are scheduled at Bhogra Bypass in Gazipur at 9:00 AM, Nagar Jalfai Bypass in Tangail at 10:30 AM, Hatikumrul intersection in Sirajganj at noon, Matidali Airport intersection in Bogura at 4:00 PM and Palashbari Choumuhani in Gaibandha at 5:30 PM.
The programme will end with a rally at Rangpur Zila School ground at 7:00 PM.
Among others, Rangpur-3 MP Mahbubur Rahman Belal, Rangpur-5 MP Golam Rabbani, Jamaat’s Dinajpur-Rangpur regional director Mawlana Momtaz Uddin, Rangpur metropolitan unit Ameer ATM Azam Khan, Secretary Anwarul Islam Kajal and NCP district convener Al Mamun attended the press conference.
