The eight-party alliance, including Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, has announced a fresh set of programmes to press home its previously declared five-point demand.
The announcement came at a press conference on Monday where Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish Ameer Maulana Mamunul Haque made the declaration.
Speaking at the event, Jamaat-e-Islami Nayeb-e-Ameer Dr Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher said, “One of the parties is suddenly opposing the consensus we reached earlier. We hope they will clarify their stance soon. Unless the July Charter is implemented, there is no use debating whether the referendum will come before or after the election. The referendum itself must ensure the implementation of the July Charter, otherwise attention will shift during the ‘yes or no’ vote on election day.”
Maulana Mamunul Haque said, “Bangladesh is now on the threshold of the 13th national election. Yet the dream that people saw through the July Charter—the vision for a new political framework—remains unfulfilled.”
“Our struggle to realise the five-point demand of the eight-party alliance will continue. We have long been urging for the July Charter to be given legal status. The government must immediately issue an order to implement it. A separate referendum must be held on the July Charter before the national election. Any amendment to the RPO will not be accepted—we demand it remain unchanged,” he added.
He further expressed optimism that all political parties could reach a consensus through dialogue and that the next national election would be held on the legal basis of the July Charter.
The newly announced programmes include a mass procession on November 6 to submit a memorandum to the Chief Adviser and a protest rally on November 11.
Commenting on the government’s seven-day deadline, Mamunul Haque said, “We believe the parties will hold discussions and reach an understanding within this time.”
Leaders present at the press conference included Islami Andolan Bangladesh Ameer Mufti Syed Muhammad Rezaul Karim (Charmonai Pir), Maulana Yunus Ahmad, Prof Ashraf Ali Akon, Jamaat leaders Dr Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher and AHM Hamidur Rahman Azad, Nizami Islam Party’s Mufti Harun Izhar, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish Ameer Maulana Mamunul Haque and Secretary General Maulana Jalal Uddin, Khelafat Majlish Secretary General Dr Ahmad Abdul Kader, and Jatiya Ganatantrik Party (JAGPA) spokesperson Rashed Pradhan, among others.
Earlier in the morning, top leaders of the eight parties met at the central office of Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish in Purana Paltan, Dhaka.
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The five-point demand centers around the implementation of the July Charter and related electoral reforms. These are: implementation of the July Charter before the national election through a separate referendum, legal recognition and constitutional basis for the July Charter to ensure the upcoming election reflects the new framework; no amendment to the Representation of the People Order (RPO) — the electoral law must remain unchanged, and finally formation of an interim or neutral administration in line with the July Charter’s spirit to oversee the upcoming 13th national election.
It also called for the release of political prisoners and withdrawal of false cases to create an inclusive and participatory political environment.