Jamaat leader Taher warns tougher actions if demand is not met

Jamaat-e-Islami Nayeb-e-ameer Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher has said the government has declared to hold the election in February.

Although February is near, the date of referendum has not been declared yet. The referendum must be held before the election.

He warned that they will declare tougher programmes if their demand is not met. He said this at a rally held before Jamaat’s protest procession in the city’s Paltan intersection area today, Thursday.

Earlier, eight protesting political parties, including Jamaat-e-Islami, announced a programme to submit a memorandum to Chief Adviser of the interim government Professor Muhammad Yunus, pressing five demands that include issuing an order to implement the July National Charter and holding a referendum on it within November.

Around 11:00 am today, the parties marched separately and gathered at the Paltan intersection.

At the rally, Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher said the referendum must be held before the election. He added that there was no legal bar to holding the referendum even after the election schedule was announced. Any delay in this regard would put the interim government in trouble, and a new course of action might then emerge.

Taher said some people talk about the cost of holding a referendum, but the amount extorted across Bangladesh in a single day would be enough to fund one. So, there would be no shortage of money for the referendum.

The Jamaat nayeb-e-ameer said the party had called on political groups to join talks as it wanted elections, a solution, peace, and the implementation of the July Charter. The government has also asked parties to hold discussions, but it must play its part in the process.

Taher said Jamaat has formed a committee to hold talks with the parties. Other parties should also form committees for discussion. Talks should begin immediately, and no time should be wasted.

Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher said that he called BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul on Thursday morning for discussion but could not reach him. He added that Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir will be called again and requested to ensure BNP’s participation in the talks.

Jamaat leader Taher said, “This is no longer about enmity or political rivalry. The nation expects the major parties to sit together not only on the July Charter but also to discuss how the upcoming election will be held. In that discussion, we must reach a consensus that there will be no vote rigging. This pledge should be broadcast on television. The nation must be assured on TV that no party will take control of a polling centre. It should also be announced that if any party does so, the votes at that centre will be cancelled.”

Taher said the chief adviser must announce that if the election is not free and fair, it should be annulled and a fresh one held. The people of this country do not want to witness another mock election; that will not be accepted. If the election is not free and fair, Bangladesh will drift into darkness and the era of Sheikh Hasina will return.

Taher urged the Election Commission and the government to create a level playing field for all contestants. He said a memorandum will be submitted to the chief adviser. If there is still no improvement, Dhaka will become the people’s city on 11 November.

At the rally, Gazi Ataur Rahman, joint secretary general and spokesman of Islami Andolan Bangladesh, said the referendum will not be held alongside the election. The schedules for the referendum and the election will not coincide. Whenever the election takes place, the referendum must be held beforehand; even if the election is postponed, the referendum must come first. Those who say reforms are unnecessary will not be included in the talks.

Later, at around 12:00 pm, a protest march set out from Paltan. When the march reached the Matsya Bhaban area, police blocked it with barricades at around 12:30 pm.

Afterwards, nine leaders from eight parties went to the state guesthouse Jamuna to submit a memorandum to the chief adviser. They were Mia Golam Porwar, secretary general of Jamaat-e-Islami; Hamidur Rahman Azad, assistant secretary general of Jamaat-e-Islami; Gazi Ataur Rahman, spokesman of Islami Andolan Bangladesh; Enamul Haq Musa, organisational secretary of Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish; Ahmad Ali Qasemi, nayeb-e-ameer of Khelafat Majlish; Yusuf Sadiq Hakkani, secretary general of Bangladesh Khelafat Andolan; Musa bin Izhar, secretary general of Bangladesh Nezame Islam Party; Rashed Pradhan, vice president and spokesman of Jatiya Gantotantrik Party; and AKM Anwarul Islam, president of Bangladesh Development Party.