Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmad today said Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh, despite being a non-political organization, continued its movement to defend the country's faith and national interests and oppose the fascist regime.

The movement was led by Hefazat-e-Islam Amir Allama Shah Mohammad Muhibbullah Babunagari along with prominent Islamic scholars (ulama), he said.

The Home Minister was addressing the concluding session of the two-day 104th annual Islamic conference (Dini Mahasammelan) at Babunagar Madrasa in Fatikchhari upazila this afternoon.

Salahuddin said it took 23 years to achieve Bangladesh's independence, while another 16 to 17 years were required to free the people from the grip of a fascist regime.

During that period, many Islamic scholars and madrasa students were martyred, while countless people fell victim to enforced disappearances, killings and torture, he said.

Referring to United Nations figures, the Home Minister said around 1,400 people were killed during the July-August mass uprising alone.

Over the preceding 16 to 17 years, around 3,000 people were subjected to enforced disappearance and nearly 7,000 others were killed or tortured, while hundreds of thousands faced persecution through physical attacks and politically motivated cases, he added.

He said the people would never again allow the Awami League to engage in politics, describing its rule as one marked by oppression, autocracy, killings and torture.

The Home Minister alleged that fascist forces were behind attempts to create unrest in the country's garment sector.

He also criticized certain groups for using the name of Islam for political purposes, saying their election manifestos contained no commitment to establishing Islamic governance or Sharia-based laws.

The government, he said, believes in Islamic values and seeks to build an inclusive Bangladesh for all citizens, based on nationalist and Islamic principles.

On the July Charter, Salahuddin said the government would implement it after extensive discussions and scrutiny, in keeping with the aspirations of the student-led mass uprising.

He also pledged to incorporate Islamic values into the Constitution and restore the expression of absolute faith and trust in Almighty Allah in its preamble and fundamental principles of state policy.

The Home Minister urged all concerned to ensure that criticism of the government remained constructive, saying support for the government should never come at the expense of the people's interests.

He reaffirmed the government's commitment to building a prosperous Bangladesh through economic development, increased exports, employment generation and expansion of power production.

Presided over by Allama Shah Mohammad Muhibbullah Babunagari, Director General of Babunagar Madrasa and Amir of Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh, the conference was attended by State Minister for Religious Affairs Shamim Kaiser Lincoln, local lawmakers Sarwar Alamgir, Gias Uddin Quader Chowdhury and Hummam Quader Chowdhury, Chattogram Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Zahidul Islam Miah and Superintendent of Police Masud Alam, among others.