From the time of its foundation, Zaker Party started to work with an outline of bringing positive changes and reforms to our national politics.
This mission of Zaker Party was never easy. First: as tradition shows, in the Indian sub-continent, every undertaking is accompanied with a craving for overnight success. And everyone tends to blindly follow those who have made the grade. Second: other political fronts were not kindly disposed to the emergence of Zaker Party. We had to move forward facing down a lot of barriers and apparent conspiracies.
Third: Zaker Party never approved of people or groups involved in terrorist or illegal activities. We never sanctioned the use of muscle power, or handed out drugs, arms and money to students and the youth. As a result, we had to struggle against all kinds of odds, in our 28-year-long journey, as we shunned conventional ways of doing politics and stuck to our ideals. Many observers, from their points of view, tried to discourage us. They tried to say – idealistic politics would not sell in our country. But Zaker Party never took these old-hand analyses as the last word – for, against all odds, we wanted to bring in a positive change to this conventional way of doing politics.
Zaker Party took part in the national election in 1991 – just within two years of its foundation. After the election, with renewed vigor, we focused upon our next goals. From this time on, we started to become more vocal against those activities which go against our country and nation. At the same time, at times of political crises, Zaker Party acted selflessly, with consideration of our own strength. In these times of accumulation of strength, in 1996, Zaker Party formed its first associate organization, and the journey of the Students’ Front began. Gradually, other associate bodies emerged, to ensure the participation of people from all levels: Youth Front, Women’s Front, Farmers’ and Workers’ Front, and others. One key objective of forming these associate organizations is to develop new leadership.
In 1996, Zaker Party arranged a number of large rallies in different parts of the country. The Zaker Party Chairman gave speeches at these rallies. Previously, in a press-conference at the National Press Club, the party introduced an outline for national politics. In the middle of the year 1997, Zaker Party arranged a huge rally in front of the Press Club, and the Party Chairman gave strong warnings, highlighting different inconsistencies prevalent in the state. He presented an outline of how to resolve these irregularities, and he made clear the position of his party on these issues.
His approach and directions were praised in different circles, and they stimulated the party leaders, workers and supporters, and deepened their devotion to state and nation.
That year, Zaker Party carried out organizational activities throughout the country to make the party’s structure more ordered and extensive – and to make people aware of the essentiality of a new leadership regarding the overall situation of the country. As part of this program, fifteen organizational teams, comprised of the central and district-level leaders of Zaker Party and its associate organizations, travelled through the districts and thanas; there were processions and rallies in all the areas the teams visited.
Those teams, delegate by the center, exchanged views with the local dignitaries.
At this time, Zaker Party, for valid reasons, started an agitation movement – because of all the prevalent political inconsistencies. A courageous street agitation began. At one point, in a massive protest rally, terrorists attacked the participants; the hooligans infiltrated into the Zaker Party rally and vandalized public transport, and tried to place the blame on Zaker Party itself.
On the other hand, the police charged with baton upon the Zaker Party leaders and workers; even the female workers were not spared. On top of this, the police arrested a number of leaders and workers, including some of the party’s central leaders. They came out free after their internment.
Later on, Zaker Party kept on their stance against political destitution, political infiltration into government institutions and all activities against our national interests. Protest rallies and demonstrations were organized at important points in Dhaka, including Paltan Maidan, Usmany Udyan and Muktangon. Zaker Party did not spare anybody or any force associated with power in their public remonstrations.
In this continual process came the Sadarpur-Char Bhadrasan by-election. Under people’s pressure, the Zaker Party Chairman was obliged to take part in this election. But when victory seemed only a matter of time, the Zaker Party Chairman had to make the exemplary decision to withdraw from the election – to save people and their property from the savage violence perpetrated by the opposition.
Zaker Party arranged a huge rally at Paltan Maidan in Dhaka – to expose to the public all the conspiracies and violent activities in the by-election. The Zaker Party Chairman, Peerjada Alhaj Mostafa Amir Faisal Mujaddedi, brought up all the pertinent points in his speech.
At this time, the Zaker Party Chairman kept up his firm stance regarding all national issues. In these tough times of devious political hustle and bustle, the Zaker Party leaders and workers were relieved to celebrate the 40th birthday of their Party Chairman. It was a cheerful time for all leaders, workers and supporters of Zaker Party in the country and abroad.
A flamboyant three-day-long program was arranged at a number of places, including the Chairman Bari ground at Banani, Dhaka. Among other parts of this program, there were voluntary blood donations, distribution of quality food and warm clothes among the poor, etc. Since the evening of 31 December, leaders and workers kept coming en masse, bringing with them flowers and bouquets. The Zaker Party Chairmen received the visitors from early evening up to deep into the night.
After all these excitement and jubilation came a great tragedy. On the 1st of May, 2001, the great founder of Zaker Party and the great spiritual leader of millions of peace-loving people around the world, Bishwa Wali Hazrat Shah Sufi Khwaja-baba Faridpuri (q.s.a.) Keblajan Shaheb, breathed his last. His sudden demise stunned all the leaders, workers, supporters and well-wishers of Zaker Party and its associate organizations, including the highest leader, the Zaker Party Chairman. All were overwhelmed with misery.
Only through the brave efforts of the two leaders – the two spiritual representatives of the Bishwa Wali – could this sea of sorrow be transcended. These two valiant leaders, by means of their supreme proficiency, made the tides of anguish into a source of strength.
The national election was due this year. The distressed Zaker Party members participated in this election, only by name.
After the Four-party Alliance came to power, the whole political, social and religious milieu began to change. The discrepancy and contradictions came to light, gradually. At length, a pandemonium of ghastly incidents began to unfurl in Bangladesh, which has always been a country where people of all faiths, religions and beliefs coexisted peacefully. On 22 August 2004, there was an atrocious grenade attack on the rally of the then ex-Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina; the intent of the attack, surely, was to kill her. On 17 August 2005, there were simultaneous bomb-blasts at all the district towns of the country. Through these bomb-blasts, the terrorist militants, who acted against the interests of our country and against the spirit of True Islam – officially announced their presence in Bangladesh. These militant attacks shocked and stunned all citizens of the country.
At the same time, people were aware of those who had been aiding and abetting these militants. The perpetrators of this plot, besides misleading people in the name of Jihad, began to conspire against the Islamic Sufi mystics, who have always upheld the liberal humanist ideals of True Islam. The militants started to carry out bomb-attacks at the shrines of the Sufi saints. At the same time, they destroyed many traditional Sufi emblems, historically cherished and preserved from the far past. At this time, in a series of bomb blasts, a number of district judges, members of the police-force, as well as some members of general public, were killed.
There was even a bomb-attack on the British High Commissioner, when he went to visit the shrine of Hazrat Shah Jalal in Sylhet. This militant group did not limit themselves only in carrying out bomb blasts; they brought out a communiqué, as a device to shut down the Holy Urs Sharif. Throughout the country people were en masse terrified and outraged by these terrorist activities. Zaker Party, at this time, came forward in protest – to reassure the people and to relieve them of their fears and anxiety. They organized huge protest rallies and demonstrations in Dhaka and throughout the country.
At a time when many established political fronts did not have a clear message on this vital issue – the Zaker Party Chairman came out all guns blazing against these malefactors. Peerjada Alhaj Mostafa Amir Faisal Mujaddedi organized a huge rally at Paltan Maidan in Dhaka – in an effort to save the country and nation, to give parliamentary democracy an institutional basis, and to eradicate for good the fraudulent communal politics which approve of man-slaughter and other heinous acts in the name of Islam.
On the morning of 9 April, 2005, the courageous leaders, workers and supporters of Zaker Party came into large processions and congregated at the Paltan Maidan. The whole capital, Dhaka, was swamped with surges of processions. At one time, the outraged masses joined in – in protest against the marked malefactors. For this, the Paltan area and its adjoining vicinity were filled up with the upsurge of people.
People of the country were most curious about this rally arranged by the Zaker Party Chairman – as the Chairman, in a crowded news-conference at the National Press Club two days before, for the first time unmasked the true identity of these dark forces. Many journalists, at the time, were surprised and amazed at the brave motion on part of the Zaker Party Chairman. One journalist, to dispel his bewilderment, kept asking the same question again and again – and each time the Zaker Party Chairman gave the same forthright answer. The message of this press conference convinced people throughout the country that there is no reason to despair: there is, after all, a helmsman to lead them out of troubled waters.
Dispelling all rumors and speculations, on 9 April 2005, the Zaker Party Chairman came upon the stage of this massive rally. In his timely and courageous speech he gave judicious directions to his followers and people at large. The speech had a great impact throughout the country, and the general people gained their confidence once more. In the post-independence history of our country, no other leader could raise his voice against and unmask the dark forces who exploit Islam against humanity and against the interests of our country and nation.
In this great congregation attended by thousands of people, Peerjada Alhaj Mostafa Amir Faisal Mujaddedi called upon the then Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia to expel the dark forces of Jamaat-e-Islam from her Four Party Alliance – otherwise, the Chairman warned, she and her party would have to repent, in the end. At this time, the whole atmosphere of the rally changed, as thousands of people broke out in thunderous slogans.
The Zaker Party Chairman called upon the two leaders of the two largest parties to sit down together and discuss the prevalent problems – to keep parliamentary democracy active and to give democracy an institutional basis. He called upon the two leaders to bring to end the practice in which the two of them would not face one another. He warned them that if they did not manage to sit down together they would surely pay the price for that failure.
The directions voiced by the Zaker Party Chairman were, in fact, a true reflection of what people at large believed in their hearts. His warnings embodied a foresight of the coming days. All of those predictions came to be true. The rest is history – as we all know.
The Zaker Party Chairman did not limit his concerns in only uttering loud warnings at the Paltan Maidan in Dhaka. Soon he went out on a campaign, travelling throughout the country, to fulfill his duties as a vigilant custodian of the interests of our nation and state.
Peerjada Alhaj Mostafa Amir Faisal Mujaddedi went to speak out in large assemblies in 11 principal district and divisional towns and in numerous street rallies all around the country. The assemblies and street rallies were inundated by spontaneous flow of people; the media-workers, too, followed these proceedings with renewed interest, and this campaign, no doubt, brought in a new dimension in our national politics.
There were huge rallies in Faridpur, which is the Chairman’s own district, and at Sadarpur, Narayanganj, Munshiganj, Gazipur, Manikganj, Comilla, Jessore, Rangpur, Sylhet and Barisal. In some of these districts, the local people identified them as the largest rallies they had ever seen.
In these rallies, the Zaker Party Chairman kept transmitting the same valiant message, in his strident speeches. After a long time, the wretched and hapless masses took in the doctrines of hope, love and well-being. And, to their hearts’ content, they witnessed the presence of a great man, whose presence itself generates a source of quiet delight, confidence and motivation.
At places, at the street rallies, people surged to the spot to have a glimpse of the great man. Men, women and children patiently and smilingly waited for hours to listen to his sagacious words.
At Ashuganj, Narsingdi, Habiganj and a few other places, the street rallies turned out to be so massive that the local people gave their unanimous verdict: never had there been any assembly of this size before now. The Zaker Party Chairman was travelling throughout the country during the monsoon season. It was raining heavily almost every day. But a remarkable occurrence kept happening time and time again: it rained only on the day before and after the Chairman’s visit. Never even once there was any rain at the time of his assemblies, not even during the street rallies. On the day of the assembly at Munshiganj – in most of the districts of the country, including Dhaka and Munshiganj, it was pouring down.
The rain did not stop even in the afternoon. The Zaker Party Chairman started his journey from Sadarghat on a large launch while it was still raining. Even here, the wonderful love expressed by the people became evident. Somehow they learned of the leader’s journey by river. Masses of people approached the launch in boats, engine-driven trawlers and speed-boats to wholeheartedly greet the great leader. And, then, the amazing thing happened: as the launch carrying the Zaker Party Chairman reached the Munshiganj harbor, all of a sudden the rain stopped completely.
The people of Munshiganj had been fretfully waiting: they had been wondering if their beloved leader would come, after all, despite the rain. And how would the rally take place in the heavy rain? The rally ground was swamped with rain water. The moment the Zaker Party Chairman stepped onto the soil of Munshiganj – rain, water and all the anxiety disappeared into thin air. And the largest public assembly in the history of Munshiganj took place.
Another feature was note-worthy: during the country-wide travels of the Zaker Party Chairman, a number of incidents took place which bore significant import.
At every place, before and after the assemblies and rallies, the local dignitaries and media-workers came to meet Peerjada Alhaj Mustafa Amir Faisal Mujaddedi. They expressed to him their love and gratitude. In response, the leader reassured them all.
After these country-wide rallies and assemblies, the mass people warmed to Zaker Party even more: this party took on a stronger, essential and meaningful bearing, in their eyes. As a result, the appreciation and exchange of ideas on national issues between Zaker Party and the large political parties with similar attitude became much more intimate. The atmosphere of mutual understanding and issue-based allied politics became more positive. Zaker Party, following their tradition – more importantly, following their pledge to the people – kept the mass people well informed on all these developments.
In the meantime, the Four Party Alliance honed their deplorable plot against the thousand-year-old liberal Islamic ideals of the Sufi saints. As a result, leaders of Sufi Islam, the Ulama of the Sunni tradition, and all the Islamic scholars began to be worried. Zaker Party, at this point, once again, swiftly offered their helping hand. The party assured them all and organized them together. In step with this, they held meetings and rallies with a number of Peers, Mashayekhs and Khankahs, and other Sufi leaders and their followers. Zaker Party, later on, organized a huge rally together with the Tariqat Federation at Paltan Maidan in Dhaka. Peers, Mashayekhs, Sufi leaders associated with different Mazaars and Khankahs and their followers came en masse and congregated at the rally.
Zaker Party Chairman Peerjada Alhaj Mostafa Amir Faisal Mujaddedi, Tariqat Federation Chairman Alhaj Syed Nazibul Bashar Maizbhandari, and other important Peers and Mashayekhs gave speeches on this occasion.
In his speech, the Zaker Party Chairman voiced his condemnation and protests against the Four Party Alliance’s heinous plot to shut down the Holy Urs Sharif. He called upon the government to desist from these deplorable conspiracies. At the same time, he demanded that the multifarious plots, including the bomb blasts at different Dargahs and Mazaars, should be stopped immediately.
He pronounced a stern warning: if the conspirators did not stop, they would have to pay dearly; the people of this country, who are devoted to the Sufi saints, would abandon these conspirators for good. At the same time, the Zaker Party Chairman reassured all the Peers, Mashayekhs, Hakkani Ulama, and other Sufi leaders of the country; he promised them that Zaker Party would put an end to all the conspiracies and salvage them from all kinds of oppression and tyranny.
This role on part of Zaker Party, later on, played an effective role to eradicate the conspiracies.
In the meantime, general people throughout the country were enraged by the boundless corruption, irregularities, nepotism, and shameless acts against the interests of the nation and state. In protest, and as recourse to eradicate all these anomalies, Zaker Party called for a great rally on 21 June 2006, at the Paltan Maidan, in Dhaka.
People throughout the country were hugely inspired and motivated by this upcoming great rally. Zaker Party and its associate bodies organized street rallies, processions and mass contact at grassroots level throughout the country – to make this grand rally a success. On this occasion, Zaker Party constructed 5 large camps at 5 important points in Dhaka City, to ensure the participating mass people’s meals, resting place and toilet facilities. Party volunteers worked day and night to accommodate these facilities.
In step with this, since the noon of the day before the great rally, Zaker Party leaders from different corners of the country led cavalcades of buses, trucks, launches, trawlers and other vehicles into Dhaka City. The people of these cavalcades were accommodated at the camps at 5 points in the city. In this manner, people from around the country congregated at the capital city by road and water, in these cavalcades of vehicles.
In the morning, all the people from these camps, and an upsurge of people pouring in through the entry-points of Dhaka, began to congregate at the Paltan Maidan. Dhaka, on that morning, turned into a city of processions. At one point, even before the noon, the Paltan Maidan was filled up, and the adjoining vicinities, too, began to fill up with surges of people. At the time the great rally began, the Paltan area and Gulistan, Dilkusha, Motijhil, and the surrounding areas, turned into a massive sea of people. As a result – at different districts in Dhaka, and at the entry-points to the city, cavalcades of people were stranded and kept waiting; they could not come into the city. Dhaka was overcome with massive traffic jams.
In the meantime – Hindus, Christians, Buddhists, and people of other creeds and religions, came in separate large processions with band-parties and congregated at Paltan Maidan. This turned the great rally into a universal assembly of people.
As Peerjada Alhaj Mostafa Amir Faisal Mujaddedi made his appearance at the great rally, hundreds of thousands of people greeted him with cheers, clapping of hands and resounding slogans. And immediately, the great rally took on an extraordinary atmosphere!
The Zaker Party Chairman, in his long edifying speech, called upon the government of the Four Party Alliance to put an end to all the detrimental activities against the interests of our nation and state, all anti-Islam conspiracies in the name of Islam, and the condescension shown against the Sufi saints and their holy tradition. He called upon everyone to unremittingly resist the corruption, misrule and partisanship of the Four Party Alliance government. At the same time, he demanded that the contribution of all national leaders should be brought to light and no national leader should be publicly maligned. The Zaker Party Chairman, at this time, highlighted the accomplishments of all the leaders – irrespective of their sympathies towards his own ideals and tradition.
Peerjada Alhaj Mostafa Amir Faisal Mujaddedi called upon the two leaders of the two largest parties to sit together and thrash out a plan to overcome the great crisis and keep the wheel of democracy moving. He warned if the two leaders did not manage to come together, they themselves would have to pay the ultimate price. He urged them to salvage the people of this country. At the same time, he forcefully demanded that the then Prime Minister should expel the dark force of Jamaat from the Alliance and the government.
At this great rally, the Zaker Party Chairman gave directions to the government and the opposition on how to get out of the current crisis and usher in a stable political environment – it was an unprecedented example in the history of our post-independence history, going far beyond the tradition of customary politics. In his speech, the Chairman emphasized upon building up mutual friendship and harmony.
This great rally of Zaker Party opened up new avenues for the politics of our country. At the same time, it played a vital role in bringing in qualitative changes to the prevalent political culture. And it ushered in new hopes for all the people of this country.
Later on, the Zaker Party Chairman’s directions, given on 21 June 2006, proved to embody an acute foresight and the greatest of visions.
The procession waited patiently at that spot, but, all of a sudden, the police charged upon them with batons. Many leaders and workers got hurt in this, and the police arrested a number of leaders and workers. But Zaker Party was not intimidated by these repressive acts.
At different times, Zaker Party has come forward to tackle different national crises. At the same time, in response to the demand of the situation and the people, Zaker Party has never hesitated to co-operate and work with other parties, irrespective of whether their goals are conducive and sympathetic to our own ideals. The point is: Zaker Party has always worked and will always work for the interests of our state and nation – for the interests of our Islam-loving countrymen. If someone repents and approaches us, Zaker Party will never turn away from them.
Zaker Party does not believe in divisions, but wants to unite all divisive parties onto one single platform. With that goal, Zaker Party has been engaged in a valiant struggle of relentless sacrifice, endurance and fortitude for the last 28 years.