Jamaat-e-Islami, Islami Andolan Bangladesh, and three other like-minded Islamic parties will launch simultaneous movements to press home their demands for the implementation of the July Charter, holding elections under the proportional representation (PR) system, and banning the activities of Jatiya Party (JaPa) and other parties once aligned with the deposed Awami League.
If the demands are not met shortly, they will move to tougher programmes such as strikes and road blockades by the end of September, party leaders said.
“We will pursue lighter programmes for a week. If our demands are not realised, we will go for tougher ones,” a senior leader of Islami Andolan Bangladesh told TIMES of Bangladesh, preferring to remain anonymous.
Alongside putting pressure on the government, the five like-minded parties also aim to send a message to the BNP, now considered the largest political party in the country in the absence of the Awami League – which faces a ban on its activities.
The parties want to make it clear that if the government makes decisions solely under the influence of the “big party” BNP, public discontent will only deepen.
According to some leaders, their main demand is to ensure a level playing field for all parties. However, there are differences among them on a few other issues.
For instance, some demand a referendum, while others seek a general election. Some want the PR system in both houses of parliament, while others prefer it in the upper house only.
While none of the parties object to elections being held in February 2026, they insist on the implementation of their demands beforehand.
Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, led by Mamunul Haque, Khelafat Majlis faction, led by Ahmad Abdul Kader, and Nejam-e-Islami Party are joining hands with Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Andolan to launch the movement.
The National Citizen Party (NCP), Amar Bangladesh (AB) Party, and Gono Odhikar Parishad are not participating in the simultaneous programmes, but they have almost identical demands and have hinted at carrying out their own activities. One of their main demands is the implementation of the July Charter.
Several leaders of the participating parties, speaking on condition of anonymity, raised questions over the meeting between Chief Adviser and acting BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman in London on 13 June.
Since the London meeting, they believe the government has been influenced to reflect BNP’s positions on various pressing issues regarding reforms and elections.
Despite commitments, the government is moving towards elections without implementing reforms and the July Charter, and without initiating trials of the Awami League and its allies accused of committing crimes against humanity during the July uprising.
The BNP has been pressuring the government from the start for early elections, following which the interim government announced that elections would be held in February.
Meanwhile, the tenure of the National Consensus Commission (NCC) expires today with no visible progress on crucial issues dividing the major parties.
The BNP clearly wants elections to be held in February with or without consensus on those issues, while the other parties insist elections should only be held after the issues are resolved.
The parties launching simultaneous movements want the government to uphold earlier commitments on reforms rather than rushing into elections, as demanded by the BNP.
These Islamic and like-minded parties also aim to send a message to the BNP following the defeats of its student wing, Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, at Dhaka University and Jahangirnagar University.
“No big party can impose anything on its own. Any implementation must take into account the opinions of all forces that supported the July movement,” Gazi Ataur Rahman, senior joint secretary-general and spokesperson of Islami Andolan Bangladesh, said, indicating the BNP.
He claimed that most people in the country support their demands and that they cannot abandon them. He added that his party would announce its programmes at a press conference today.
Amid this political standoff, the National Consensus Commission held a meeting with political parties in the presence of Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus. He urged the parties to reach a consensus before the elections. However, after the meeting, top leaders of the BNP, Jamaat, and NCP reiterated their respective positions.
Following the meeting, Jamaat’s Assistant Secretary-General and former MP HM Hamidur Rahman Azad told TIMES: “We will announce our programmes through a press conference today. We are taking to the streets with the people’s demands.”
On Sunday, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis announced a three-day nationwide programme, while Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Andolan Bangladesh will hold separate press conferences today to announce their own programmes.
