Chief organiser (southern region) of the National Citizen Party (NCP) Hasnat Abdullah has responded to a show-cause notice issued over his absence during the anniversary of the July Uprising.
In a written reply sent on Thursday, Hasnat stated that the trip was made with prior permission from party leadership.
On August 5, the government organised various events marking the first anniversary of the historic July Uprising. During a special session at the South Plaza of the National Parliament, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus publicly read out the much-anticipated “July Declaration.”
The absence of key movement coordinators on such a significant day sparked criticism, especially after photos and videos of their Cox’s Bazar trip went viral on social media.
In response, the NCP issued show-cause notices to five leaders, including Hasnat Abdullah, accusing them of making a politically irresponsible decision by traveling without prior approval. They were asked to provide written explanations in person within 24 hours to the party’s convenor Nahid Islam and member secretary Akhtar Hossain.
Hasnat, the first among the five to respond, defended his actions in detail. He stated that he had concerns with the July Declaration, noting that it failed to represent the voices of those who led and sacrificed in the uprising.
He criticised the final draft of the document, saying it proposed to leave constitutional reform in the hands of a future elected government, an approach he considers contrary to the movement’s goals.
Hasnat and others had demanded the formation of a new constitution through a Constituent Assembly to dismantle fascist systems.
Furthermore, he claimed that several victims and key leaders of the uprising were not consulted during the drafting process and were not even invited to the anniversary event. Feeling disrespected and disappointed, he chose not to participate and instead went on a personal trip outside Dhaka.
Hasnat said he had tried to inform convenor Nahid Islam of his travel plans on the night of August 4 but couldn’t reach him. He then informed the party’s chief coordinator, Nasiruddin Patwary, who assured him that he would convey the message.
Later, Nasir confirmed that Nahid had approved the trip. Hasnat was joined by other central leaders and their spouses on the trip.
He expressed outrage over how intelligence agencies recorded their movements from the airport and handed over the footage to the media. He condemned the use of “crime movie-style” music and misleading commentary by some outlets, which falsely suggested that they were secretly meeting former US ambassador Peter Haas to plot against democracy, even though there is no evidence to suggest that Haas was in the country at the time.
Hasnat also condemned the targeted online harassment of fellow leader Tasnim Jara was condemned, calling it a sexist attack designed to discourage women from participating in politics.
While criticising NCP for issuing the show-cause notice instead of defending its members against these smear campaigns, he concluded his letter by reaffirming his commitment to the party and thanking the leadership for the opportunity to explain his position.