Jamaat, NCP seek July charter Referendum before polls
Zakir Hossain from Dhaka
Bangladesh’s major opposition parties — the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Jamaat-e-Islami, and the National Citizen Party (NCP) — have urged Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus to ensure neutrality of the interim government and to implement the July National Charter before the upcoming general election.
In separate meetings with Yunus on Wednesday evening, Jamaat and NCP called for a referendum on the July Charter to be held before the national polls, expected early next year. BNP, meanwhile, stressed that the interim government must function like a caretaker administration rather than attempting to “reinstate” the old political system.
Advisers Wahiduddin Mahmud, Asif Nazrul, and Adilur Rahman Khan were present during the meetings held at the state guest house Jamuna.
NCP Convener Nahid Islam said, “The caretaker government issue is already covered under the July Charter. If the government wants to implement it before the referendum, then the Election Commission must also be restructured according to the Charter’s provisions.”
He alleged bias in the Election Commission and demanded reforms to ensure a neutral and credible election. “If the election is not fair, the responsibility goes to the government,” Nahid said, adding that NCP appreciated the interim administration’s decision to present 15 army officials before the International Crimes Tribunal.
Jamaat’s Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher said his party proposed that the referendum be held by end-November, ahead of elections likely in February. “If the referendum is not held before the election, a February election will not be acceptable,” he warned. Taher also revealed that his party urged Yunus to grant the Charter constitutional legitimacy through an executive order.
Taher clarified that Jamaat had not demanded restoration of the old caretaker system, noting that a related case was pending before the Supreme Court. “We believe the interim government should act in the spirit of a caretaker one,” he said.
Both BNP and Jamaat also expressed concerns over “partisan advisers” in Yunus’ cabinet, alleging that some were “misleading the chief adviser” and “working in favour of a particular party.” Yunus reportedly assured them that he would take “appropriate steps.”
A day earlier, BNP’s three-member delegation led by Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir also met Yunus, urging the removal of controversial advisers and reaffirming its support for the Charter’s principles. “The government must act like a neutral caretaker, not a political authority,” Alamgir said.
In a separate development, Jamaat-e-Islami chief Shafiqur Rahman issued an unconditional public apology for “all the suffering caused by Jamaat from 1947 till today.”
Speaking at an event in New York on October 22, he said, “For all the suffering caused by us, on whomever, wherever, we apologise unconditionally. Please forgive us.” He added, “Out of 100 decisions, 99 may have been right, but one might have harmed the nation. If any of my decisions caused harm, what’s wrong in asking forgiveness?”