National election may face crisis if demand for referendum is ignored: Jamaat’s Porwar
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami secretary general Mia Golam Porwar has said that if the demand for a referendum is ignored under pressure from any political party, the national election may fall into crisis.
The July National Charter must be implemented immediately through an official order, and the date of the referendum must be announced, he added.
Golam Porwar said this while addressing a voters’ gathering as chief guest at Jugnipasha in Ward No. 8 of Phultala Union in Phultala Upazila of Khulna-5 constituency on Friday evening.
Mia Golam Porwar further said that Jamaat-e-Islami welcomes the proposal for mutual dialogue among political parties to resolve the current crisis. However, the government must take the role of mediator in this regard. Jamaat-e-Islami is prepared to extend all forms of cooperation to the government.
The Jamaat leader said that it is essential to announce the schedule for the referendum before the schedule for the national elections is declared; this is the demand of the people.
According to him, the issues of reform that were agreed upon among all political parties in the National Consensus Commission, and to which the signatory parties to the July Charter gave their consent, should not now be subjected to differing opinions nor should notes of dissent be added to the referendum demands. These must be avoided. In the interest of the nation and in building national unity, preparations for the referendum must be undertaken immediately without any notes of dissent, and the date of the referendum must be announced before the national election.
The Jamaat secretary general also said that Jamaat-e-Islami is prepared to participate in the election in February 2026. For this, a level playing field must be ensured, and the perpetrators of genocide and the collaborators of fascism must be brought to justice. If the election is held after ensuring a level playing field on the basis of the July Charter, it will be acceptable to all quarters.
He further said, “The student-people uprising of 2024 was a war against fascism. And our second war is against corruption. If Jamaat is entrusted with the responsibility of the state, the first task will be to reform the existing education system to ensure education for all. The second task will be to declare war against corruption and build an equitable society.”
The gathering was conducted by Sheikh Ziaur Rahman, president of Ward No. 8 Jamaat.
Present on the occasion were district secretary Munshi Mizanur Rahman, assistant secretary Gausul Azam, ameer of Phultala Upazila Jamaat Abdul Alim Molla, secretary Saiful Hasan, vice-president of the district workers’ welfare federation Ali Akbar, and president of Phultala Thana Jamaat Abdur Rahim, among others.