GAIBANDHA, Jan 24, 2026 (BSS) - Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman today said Bangladesh would be transformed into a fertile, just and welfare-oriented country if his party and the 10-party electoral alliance are voted to power, with special focus on reviving the neglected northern region. "Years of neglect and misrule had turned the once-navigable rivers of northern Bangladesh into "dead rivers," crippling agriculture and livelihoods," he told a rally of 10-party electoral alliance at the SM Pilot High School ground in Palashbari upazila this morning.  Shafiqur said, "Rivers where ships once sailed cannot even support boats today. If we form the government with the people's prayers, love and votes, our first attention will be on reviving these dead rivers and turning North Bengal into an agriculture-based capital of the country".  "No meaningful development had taken place over the past one and a half decades, pushing the entire northern region towards desertification," he added.  Jamaat, he said, aims to ensure food security by restoring rivers, expanding irrigation and supporting farmers who are deprived of fair prices due to extortionists and middlemen. "We will uproot extortion and ensure farmers get their rightful share," he added. Highlighting employment and education, the Jamaat Ameer said unemployed youths would be brought under technical training to turn 'idle hands into productive hands'. Given Gaibandha's agricultural potential, he announced plans to establish agricultural universities in the district, noting that North Bengal urgently needs such institutions.  He also pledged to implement, on a priority basis, the long-pending decision to establish an Export Processing Zone (EPZ) in Gaibandha to create jobs and process local products for national and global markets. Dr. Shafiqur said Jamaat wants a Bangladesh free from corruption, domination and injustice, maintaining friendship with all civilized nations while rejecting any form of foreign hegemony.  "We want fundamental change. We do not want a fascist system built over decades," he said, calling the upcoming February 12 election a 'public referendum' and urging people to vote 'Yes' in honour of the martyrs of the July movement. Referring to the deprivation of voting rights in the past, he said an entire generation of youths had been denied the chance to vote even once. "The corrupt system that produces killers, grabbers and criminals must be changed, and people will vote 'Yes' for that change," he added. Outlining broader development plans, the Jamaat Ameer promised improved healthcare through the gradual establishment of medical colleges in every district and the development of specialised hospitals through public and private initiatives.  He also assured initiatives to make North Bengal industrially developed so that people would not have to migrate to Dhaka in search of work. Dr. Shafiqur further assured the people of Gaibandha that a bridge would be constructed between Balashi Ghat and Bahadurabad Ghat over the Brahmaputra River to ease communication and accelerate regional development. He said Jamaat would work to ensure quality education, decent jobs, youth empowerment, children's mental development and safe, dignified movement for women both at home and outside. At the end of the rally, the Jamaat Ameer introduced the alliance-backed candidates of Gaibandha district and sought votes for them.  The candidates are Professor Majedur Rahman (Gaibandha-1), Jamaat district Ameer Abdul Karim (Gaibandha-2), Principal Maulana Nazrul Islam (Gaibandha-3), Dr. Abdur Rahim Sarker (Gaibandha-4) and Bir Muktijoddha Abdul Wares (Gaibandha-5). Chaired by Gaibandha district Jamaat Ameer Md. Abdul Karim, it was also addressed by central and local leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami, Islami Chhatra Shibir and allied parties, including JAGPA Vice-President and Spokesman Engineer Rashed Pradhan.