BNP for simultaneous vote with polls
Zakir Hossain from Dhaka
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami chief Shafiqur Rahman has warned that the upcoming national election would be “meaningless” without implementing the July Charter of Reforms through a referendum.
Speaking at a press conference in London on Friday, Shafiqur insisted that “holding a referendum before the polls is essential” and urged the government to extend voter registration for expatriates till November 15.
Meanwhile, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir reiterated that the referendum should be held simultaneously with the national election using two separate ballots. “There is no scope for holding it beforehand,” he said at a Dhaka programme.
Fakhrul accused Jamaat of “misleading people” and warned against efforts to “distort the history of 1971 and glorify the July 2024 uprising.”
BNP Standing Committee member Hafizuddin Ahmed said the next parliament should ensure reforms through consensus, not division. Both leaders emphasised that political unity was crucial to ensuring a credible election, expected in early February next year.