The interim government, which ascended to power over the corpses of students and the masses, didn’t take any effective measures to restore the fragile economy left behind by the fallen Hasina regime; rather, they have allowed the Americans to establish hegemony over the country's economy by signing a controversial trade agreement with the United States before leaving the chair. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government, promising economic recovery, inflation control, employment, and public welfare, announced its first budget of 9.38 lakh crore taka. However, the painful reality is that no structural changes are observed in this budget—the trap of imperialist debt and the exploitative revenue structure dependent on VAT and taxes remain as they were. In this context, Hizb ut Tahrir / Wilayah Bangladesh, organized an online conference on Friday, July 24, 2026, at 7:30 PM, titled “Blueprint for a Self-Reliant Islamic Budget to Restore the Fragile Economy”. The conference was broadcast on Al-Waqiyah TV.

Link for Video: https://rumble.com/v7d6nne-national-budget-conference-blueprint-for-a-self-reliant-islamic-budget.html?start=98

The first speaker of the conference stated: Past budgets have failed to meet the expectations of the people because they were formulated according to the prescriptions of Western imperialist institutions like the IMF and World Bank, following an exploitative capitalist economic model. In past budgets, the primary revenue source was VAT and taxes, and today— it remains the same. In the past, there was debt and interest on debt, along with budget deficits; these persist in the current budget as well. Past budgets set targets for ADP, GDP growth, and the tax-to-GDP ratio; the current budget has set targets in these exact same sectors. This means sectors remain the same; changes have only occurred in figures, allocations, and slogans, while the underlying structure remains unchanged.

The speaker discussed the following topics in detail to expose the nature of the current budget, which is trapped in an exploitative capitalist economic model and imperialist debt:

• The trickle-down economic model and the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few capitalists
• The state's exploitative tax structure
• The debt trap
• Debt conditions and economic slavery

Additionally, the speaker explained how social safety net programs and the concept of a "welfare state" are merely political tools and not the path to true liberation for the people. In the budget, the government emphasized the social security sector, adopting programs such as "Family Cards," "Farmer Cards," "Health Cards," and nationwide "canal digging" through local government and the Water Development Board. In reality, these programs are extremely limited compared to the people's problems and are a futile attempt to obscure the core issues. On one hand, the government imposes taxes on street hawkers, while on the other, it implements social safety programs. More importantly, the concept of the welfare state did not arise from love for the people; rather, it was a political strategy of the ruling class in the West to pacify the anger of the common masses crushed by capitalist exploitation.

The second speaker of the conference presented the fundamental principles of Islamic economics and the blueprint of an Islamic budget based on them—aiming to ensure a self-reliant economy and public welfare. In contrast to the capitalist economic structure, a core principle of Islamic economics is ensuring the fair distribution of resources and preventing the monopolistic concentration of wealth among a few capitalists. Allah (swt) says,

﴿كَيْ لَا يَكُونَ دُولَةً بَيْنَ الْأَغْنِيَاء مِنكُمْ﴾

“...so that it (wealth) will not be a perpetual distribution among the rich from among you…” [Surah Al-Hashr: 7].

Another fundamental principle of the Islamic economic system is fulfilling the basic needs of every citizen at an individual level—food, clothing, and shelter—and ensuring basic rights such as education, healthcare, and security. The Messenger of Allah (saw) said:

«لَيْسَ لاِبْنِ آدَمَ حَقٌّ فِي سِوَى هَذِهِ الْخِصَالِ بَيْتٌ يَسْكُنُهُ وَثَوْبٌ يُوَارِي عَوْرَتَهُ وَجِلْفُ الْخُبْزِ وَالْمَاءِ»

“The son of Adam has no better right than these things: a house in which he lives, a garment with which he conceals his private parts, and a piece of bread and water” (Sunan At-Tirmidhi). In Islamic economic system, the state's responsibility is not only to ensure the fulfillment of basic needs but also to create an environment where citizens can lead prosperous, dignified, and honorable lives through lawful means.

To provide a blueprint of how a budget based on the Islamic economic model would ensure public welfare and transform the country into a self-reliant economy in the context of Bangladesh, the second speaker discussed the following in detail:

• Revenue from public properties
• Kharaj (Land Tax)
• Revenue from the profits of state-owned heavy industries
• Jizyah—State revenue in exchange for the protection and security of non-Muslim citizens
• Zakat Fund—An effective mechanism for wealth redistribution and poverty alleviation

[وَلَوْ أَنَّ أَهْلَ الْقُرَى آمَنُوا وَاتَّقَوْا لَفَتَحْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ بَرَكَاتٍ مِنْ السَّمَاءِ وَالأَرْضِ وَلَكِنْ كَذَّبُوا فَأَخَذْنَاهُمْ بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ]

“And if only the people of the cities had believed and feared Allah, We would have opened upon them blessings from the heaven and the earth; but they denied [the messengers], so We seized them for what they were earning" [Al-A’raf: 96].