Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, along with seven other political parties, on Thursday submitted a five-point memorandum to Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus, urging the implementation of the July Charter and calling for a national referendum ahead of the next general election scheduled for February.
A joint delegation visited the Chief Adviser’s residence at noon to submit the memorandum.
Earlier, Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar briefed journalists on the parties’ demands.
The five-point memorandum called for: issuing an order to implement the July Charter; announcing the referendum date before the election; introducing proportional representation in both houses in the next national polls; ensuring a level playing field for a free, fair and acceptable election; and initiating visible accountability measures for past incidents of repression, killings and corruption.
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The parties also demanded a ban on the activities of the Jatiya Party and the 14-party alliance.
Industries Adviser Adilur Rahman Khan received the memorandum on behalf of the Chief Adviser.
Earlier in the day, at around 11:00am, leaders and activists of the eight parties held separate rallies at Paltan intersection before marching towards the Chief Adviser’s residence.
They were stopped by police near Matsya Bhaban. Later, nine representatives of the alliance proceeded to the state guest house Jamuna to submit the memorandum.
The delegation included Jamaat leaders Mia Golam Parwar and Dr Hamidur Rahman Azad; Islami Andolan Bangladesh Joint Secretary General Fazlul Bari Masud; Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis Organising Secretary Enamul Haque Musa and Nayeb-e-Ameer Ahmad Ali Qasemi; Bangladesh Khelafat Andolan Secretary General Yusuf Sadiq Haqqani; Nezam-e-Islam Party Secretary General Musa bin Izhar; JaGPA Vice President and Spokesperson Rashed Pradhan; and Bangladesh Development Party President AKM Anwarul Islam.
Talking to the media after submitting the memorandum, Parwar said the eight parties will hold a mass rally in Dhaka on 11 November, urging the government to accept their demands before that date.
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“If the demands are not accepted before November 11, the situation in Dhaka will be different that day,” he warned.
Addressing the earlier rally at Paltan, Jamaat Nayeb-e-Ameer Sayed Abdullah Mohammad Taher said, “If things don’t move with a straight approach, they will be made to move in another way.”
He reiterated the call for holding the referendum before the election, warning that delaying the process could push the interim government into crisis.