‘Afterlife free of sin’: Shafiqur Rahman’s party offers religious promises, $125 in bribes to Bangladesh voters in ‘secret’ pamphlet

As Bangladesh went to polls on Thursday (Feb 12) to choose its next government, one of the leading parties, Jamaat-e-Islami, came under scrutiny for allegedly attempting to buy votes through a combination of cash payments and religious appeals. The party promised the voters both money and “salvation from grave punishment" in exchange for their support. The Jamat coalition reportedly circulated pamphlets nationwide, in which the party pledged 15,000 taka (around $125) to voters who back the party and its leader, Shafiqur Rahman.

As per the documents accessed by NDTV, the leaflets instruct voters to photograph their stamped ballots as proof. The documents opened with “You must fulfil the promise of having all family members vote for the ‘Dari Palla’ (weighing scale) symbol. This promise will make your afterlife free of sin and grant salvation from grave punishment."

The document also mentioned that the Jamaat workers have already collected voter ID numbers and mobile numbers linked to bKash, Bangladesh’s leading mobile financial service. Individuals who submit photographs as proof for voting for Shafiqur Rahman in the Dhaka-15 constituency will receive payment via bKash or cash, with some advance payment offered. “This leaflet must be kept completely secret, keeping the Great Allah as witness," it added.

‘Voterless, illegal, unconstitutional’

Meanwhile, the ousted prime minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, called for the “cancellation of this voterless, illegal, and unconstitutional election" on Thursday (Feb 12). In a statement, Hasina thanked voters for “boycotting and rejecting this election without the Awami League". By 2 in the afternoon, the voter turnout was recorded as less than 50 per cent, as per the Bangladesh Election Commission (EC) Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed.

“Today’s so-called election organised by Yunus, who took power through illegal and unconstitutional means, was essentially a carefully planned farce. Disregarding the people’s voting rights, democratic values, and the spirit of the constitution, a deceptive election was arranged without the Awami League and without voters," she said.