Last Updated on November 11, 2025 11:52 pm by INDIAN AWAAZ
Zakir Hossain from Dhaka
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami chief Shafiqur Rahman on Tuesday declared that no national election will be held unless the July National Charter is given a legal foundation.
Speaking at a massive rally at Dhaka’s Paltan intersection, joined by thousands from eight like-minded parties, Shafiqur said, “There will be no election unless the legal basis of the July Charter is ensured.” The rally, part of the fifth phase of their joint movement, also demanded elections under a proportional representation (PR) system.
Earlier in the day, activists began gathering at Purana Paltan. Jamaat Assistant Secretary General Hamidur Rahman Azad inaugurated the event with Quranic recitations. Shafiqur added that a new programme would be announced soon after a top-level alliance meeting.
Meanwhile, the BNP warned the government against taking any step beyond the agreed issues in the July Charter. “Any decision taken outside the signed charter will be the government’s sole responsibility,” BNP Standing Committee member Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain said at a press briefing in Gulshan, chaired by acting chairman Tarique Rahman.
He termed recent adviser comments about altering the Charter “misleading” and urged caution. BNP leader Salahuddin Ahmed clarified that the Consensus Commission’s recommendations did not include dissenting notes and said, “If the government invites discussions, there may be scope for talks, but not on the streets.”
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, addressing a rally in Thakurgaon, warned the country could “turn into a failed state” if polls are not held by mid-February.
He accused Jamaat of “trying to confuse voters” with its PR demand. “Jamaat knows it will vanish if polls are held under the current system,” Fakhrul said, also alleging that the NCP had joined Jamaat to stay politically relevant.
He urged citizens to “stay alert against Jamaat’s hypocritical acts,” saying, “They’re promising tickets to heaven, but only Allah and His Prophet can ensure that.”