The Jamaat-e-Islami will not allow the national election to be held without a caretaker government, said the party's Acting Ameer Professor Mujibur Rahman on Saturday (28 October).

"People's rights to vote must be established even if it means to sacrifice lives," he said at Jamaat-e-Islami's rally at Motijheel's Arambagh in Dhaka.

Referring to a clash that took place on 28 October 2006 between Jamaat-e-Islami and Awami League activists in Dhaka's Baitul Mukarram area, Mujibur Rahman said, "We want to take revenge for that 28 October. Awami League men killed Jamaat-e-Islami and Chhatra Shibir leaders and activists that day.

"But we will not take revenge by killing, rather we will take action after implementing the laws of Quran and Sunnah, Insha'allah. We will not let a single drop of blood of our martyred brothers go in vain."

He demanded the release of Jamaat leaders and activists who were detained on the way to this rally.

Jamaat leaders and activists started gathering in the Arambag area early in the morning, while several hundred police officers put barricades at Arambagh and Shapla Chattar in Motijheel.

Jamaat's acting ameer instructed the party activists to commence the programme at 2pm.

Earlier yesterday, Dhaka Metropolitan Police gave permission to the Awami League and BNP to hold their rallies at the south gate of Baitul Mukarram Mosque and Nayapaltan respectively, subject to 20 conditions.