Zakir Hossain from Dhaka
The National Citizen Party (NCP) has accused Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami of launching a “calculated political deception” through its campaign for proportional representation (PR) in the upcoming elections. In a Facebook post, NCP Convener Nahid Islam said Jamaat’s “so-called PR movement” was designed to “derail the Consensus Commission’s reform process” and “divert national dialogue from real constitutional restructuring.”
“The core reform demand for an Upper House based on proportional representation was conceived as a constitutional safeguard,” he wrote. “But Jamaat and its allies hijacked this agenda, reduced it to a technical PR issue, and used it as a bargaining tool for narrow partisan interests.”
Nahid accused Jamaat of “political sabotage disguised as reformism,” saying the party “never participated in reform discourse before or after the July Uprising.” He added, “The people of Bangladesh have awakened to this deception and will no longer be deceived by false reformists or manipulative actors.” PR is an electoral system in which parties gain seats in proportion to the number of votes cast for them.
Meanwhile, BNP Standing Committee Member Salahuddin Ahmed said attempts to “pit the BNP against the July Uprising” would fail. “The fascist regime wasn’t toppled in just 36 days — it was the result of 16 years of struggle,” he said, adding that 422 BNP activists were martyred during the movement.
On the political front, eight Islamist and right-leaning parties, including Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Andolon Bangladesh, have announced a three-day protest programme to press their five-point demand, which includes introducing a PR system and ensuring justice for crimes of the previous regime.
The parties will hold rallies in Dhaka on Oct 20, divisional cities on Oct 25, and district towns on Oct 27, Khelafat Majlish Secretary General Ahmad Abdul Quader announced at the Jatiya Press Club.
The alliance includes Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Islami Andolon Bangladesh, Khelafat Majlish, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish, Bangladesh Nezame Islam Party, Jatiya Ganatantrik Party (JAGPA), Bangladesh Khelafat Andolon, and the Bangladesh Development Party (BDP). Four of these— including Jamaat and Islami Andolon— signed the July National Charter last week. Their demands also include banning political activities of the Jatiya Party and the 14-party alliance, and ensuring a level playing field ahead of the February 2025 national polls.