Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman on Thursday said his party expects visible punishment for top offenders and some basic reforms before the next national election.Speaking at a discussion and prayer event at Sylhet Shilpakala Academy, organised to commemorate those killed and injured during the July uprising, he said the last three elections did not reflect people’s will and a similar election would only bring grief to the nation.“We want to see at least two or four top criminals punished before the next polls,” he said.Shafiqur warned that if the upcoming government fails to continue the process of justice, the youth will take to the streets again and they now know the path.

He said the ongoing struggle is not only against fascism but also against deep-rooted corruption. “The people of Bangladesh will triumph in this fight too,” he added.

The Jamaat chief also pledged to honour families of those killed and wounded in the July movement if the party comes to power.He criticised the government’s ‘mismanagement’ and ‘backing of vested groups,’ which he said turned the tea industry into a fragile sector.

The Jamaat leader also vowed to build a corruption-free Bangladesh and empower youth for nation-building, adding, “No country is our master—we’ll work with neighbours on the basis of equality.”

Chaired by Sylhet city Jamaat Ameer Muhammad Fakhrul Islam, Assistant Secretary General Advocate Ehsanul Mahbub Zubayer and Sylhet district Ameer Mawlana Habibur Rahman. family members of the deceased and injured also spoke at the programme.