Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman has strongly asserted that holding the next national election is impossible without first establishing the legal basis of the National July Charter, reiterating the party's core demand for a national referendum.
The announcement was made during a grand rally held this afternoon (November 11) at Dhaka's Paltan, following a 10 November deadline set by the party and its allies for the government to meet their demands.
Shafiqur Rahman stated, "No election is possible without a legal basis of the charter. The freedom-loving people of this country have one message — a national referendum must be held before the general election." He emphasized that a successful referendum would provide the necessary legal foundation for the charter, upon which the next election should be based.
The Jamaat chief highlighted the unity among opposition parties on the referendum issue, noting that all parties agreed to sign the charter. The party expressed a desire for the election to be held before Ramadan in February.
Rahman vowed to continue the movement until their demands are met, stating, "We will return home only after achieving the people's liberation." He urged the government to heed the people's message and announce the referendum without delay, promising to announce the party's next programmes soon. The grand rally began around 2:00 PM and was a significant show of unity among eight Islamic parties, including Jamaat, pushing for the implementation of a five-point demand centered on the July Charter and the referendum. The seven parties allied with Jamaat-e-Islami are Islami Andolan Bangladesh, Khelafat Majlis (two factions), Bangladesh Nezame Islam Party, Bangladesh Khelafat Andolan, Jatiya Ganatantrik Party (Jagpa), and Bangladesh Development Party (BDP).
Besides the July Charter implementation and referendum, their demands including introducing the Proportional Representation (PR) system via a referendum, ensuring a level playing field for free and fair elections, delivering visible justice for oppression, atrocities, and corruption by the "fallen fascist government" And also banning the activities of the Jatiyo Party and the 14-party alliance.
Earlier the eight political parties submitted a memorandum containing these demands to the chief adviser on October 30, warning that "Dhaka will look very different on 11 November" if their demands were not met by the deadline.
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