Dhaka, Feb. 21 -- Jamaat-e-Islami chief Shafiqur Rahman has said his first-ever visit to the Central Shaheed Minar was carried out in his official capacity as Leader of the Opposition, rejecting suggestions that the gesture marked a shift in the party's ideological position.

Speaking to reporters shortly after laying a floral wreath at the monument in the early hours of International Mother Language Day, he said the visit was a constitutional and ceremonial responsibility.

"As part of state protocol, this is my duty," he said. "As the Leader of the Opposition, I am required to be here with my colleagues. That is why I have come."

Saturday marked the first time a Jamaat chief personally paid tribute at the Shaheed Minar by placing flowe...