Ahab to float 'Insaf', contest next election
Staff Correspondent
Ahle Hadith Andolon Bangladesh (Ahab) will soon float a new political party styled 'Insaf' and field candidates to contest the next general election from at least 65 constituencies that are widely considered as the ruling alliance strongholds.Addressing a grand conference at Muktangan in the capital, leaders of Ahab yesterday said they have already agreed in principle to target those seats in Rajshahi and Khulna divisions that were won by the four-party alliance in the last election. "We'll soon announce the launch of Insaf [justice] and put up candidates in 60 to 65 seats. We'll go all-out to win 20 to 25 seats defeating the BNP-Jamaat alliance," said Acting Ameer of Ahab Shaikh Abdus Samad Salafi, speaking as the chief guest. Blasting the alliance government, he said three crore Ahab followers will strive to exact a terrible revenge on the four-party alliance by making sure they lose the upcoming elections. "We've completed our preparation for launching the new party. The announcement regarding the launch is now only a matter of time," said Salafi adding that they will contest the next election mainly from the constituencies across the northern districts. Ahab and Ahab Jubo Sangha organised the conference demanding immediate release of Ahab Ameer and Rajshahi University teacher Muhammad Asadullah Al Galib. He, along with Shaikh Abdus Samad Salafi, Ahab General Secretary Nurul Islam and Ahab Jubo Sangha President ASM Azizullah, was arrested on February 22, 2005 on suspicion of being the brains behind the growing Islamist militancy in the country. Galib is still behind bars while the other three have come out on bail recently. Ahab leaders addressing yesterday's rally threatened to go for a tougher movement against the government, if Galib is not released within a month. "In the last election, we cast votes for the BNP-Jamaat alliance so that an Islamic state is established. But they have betrayed our trust and arrested our ameer [Galib]," said Nurul Islam, general secretary of the Islamist outfit. He alleged that Galib was arrested because he wrote against the activities of Jamaat-e-Islami. "Jamaat made the government arrest Galib as they feared that Galib might disclose its misdeeds in the name of Islam," said Azizullah. Among others, Prof Sirajul Islam, SM Abdul Latif, Muhammad Sakhawat Hossain, Moulana Jahangir Alam, Moulana Abdul Mannan spoke at the meeting. A procession followed the grand conference. Chanting slogans against the 'misrule' of BNP-Jamaat government, it paraded through different city streets.
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