Ameer of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Shafiqur Rahman today said northern Bangladesh has long been treated like a stepchild and deliberately kept deprived.

“Since the creation of Bangladesh, the north has not been poor by nature; it has been made poor,” he said at an election rally at Panchagarh Sugar Mill ground this afternoon.

“Northern Bangladesh is an integral part of our heart. This region supplies food and nutrition to the country, yet it has been intentionally pushed backward. I am here as a witness to that injustice,” he added.

He said Jamaat does not want to see a single unemployed person in north Bangladesh in the future and wants to ensure dignified jobs for all.

“We want to turn every young man and woman, every citizen, into a builder of the nation. We want to make the entire northern region a hub of agro-based industries,” he said.

He also vowed to reopen closed sugar mills and bring workers back to their workplaces.

Referring to the "family card" pledged by the BNP, Shafiqur said, “Brother, we don’t have any card. You -- our brothers and sisters -- are our card.”

“With your support, prayers, and love, we want to build a Bangladesh free from unemployment. We do not want any part of this country to remain as a recipient of charity,” he said, adding that public money should not be used for personal luxury.

“We will empower the hands of our youths, In sha Allah. We will empower the hands of our young women as well,” he said.

“Just as a family is formed through the partnership of men and women -- the most natural and fundamental unit of society -- we will build Bangladesh together, In sha Allah.”

Referring to the long-standing neglect of the northern region, he said development slogans often speak of “Teknaf to Tetulia”, but the tide of development never reaches Tetulia. “We will reverse this, In sha Allah. It will be ‘Tetulia to Teknaf’. The balance must be restored,” he said.

Highlighting the dire condition of rivers in the north, he said Allah had gifted the region four major rivers -- Teesta, Dharla, Brahmaputra, and Karatoya. “From above, what I saw was not rivers but deserts. The rivers are dead like skeletons,” he said, comparing rivers to blood vessels.

“If blood vessels are blocked, a person dies. These rivers have been killed. Didn’t this country have guardians?” he questioned.

Criticising past governments, he said they appear among the people once every five years and disappear for the remaining time. “We hate this kind of politics,” he said.

Referring to fascist Awami League leaders, he said, “We were here, we are here, and we will remain here, In sha Allah. We never left the people in times of crisis, and we never will.”

He said if the 10-party alliance is sent to the parliament with people’s votes and support, not only will rivers regain life, people’s lives will also become vibrant again.

“Five years will be enough to change the face of north Bangladesh, In sha Allah,” he said, calling on people to work shoulder to shoulder.

He also promised major improvements in healthcare, saying people are forced to rush to Dhaka for treatment, which many cannot afford and some even die on the way. “If Allah gives us this responsibility, there will not be a single district among the 64 without a medical college.

"Panchagarh will also have a medical college, In sha Allah," he said.

Recalling the sacrifices of martyrs of 1971 and 2024, he said they remain forever indebted to the families of martyrs and freedom fighters and pledged lifelong respect.

Calling on youths to continue their struggle, he said the fight will go on until discrimination, corruption, extortion, land grabbing and autocracy are eliminated and a just, humane Bangladesh is established.

“We will not stop. No one can stop us until this nation reaches its destination,” he said.

Later, he presented party symbols to Sarjis Alam, the 10-party alliance candidate for Panchagarh-1, and Shafiuallah Sufi, candidate for Panchagarh-2.

Leaders of allied parties also spoke at the event.