Staff Reporter :
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Andolan Bangladesh on Thursday intensified their call for legal and constitutional recognition of the July Charter, warning that without reforms based on proportional representation (PR), the upcoming parliamentary elections could plunge the country into fresh political turmoil.
Speaking at a rally at the south gate of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque, Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar alleged that a particular political party was obstructing the process of giving the July Charter legal and constitutional status.
He argued that delaying reforms until after the polls would prevent the creation of a genuine level playing field.
“We have made it clear that the July Charter must be implemented before the election through constitutional order and referendum.
Otherwise, the country will plunge into a grave crisis,” Porwar said. He warned that holding elections under the existing structure would “inevitably lead to the resurgence of fascism.”
Porwar reiterated Jamaat’s demand for a referendum on the PR system, saying the party would respect the people’s mandate if they voted against it. “But why are you so afraid of a referendum?” he asked.
Assistant Secretary General Hamidur Rahman Azad echoed the demand, stressing that “only through constitutional reforms and PR can there be a free, fair, and credible election.”
He cited the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (Ducsu) and Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union (Jucsu) polls as examples where proportional structures enabled fairer outcomes.
At a parallel rally at the mosque’s north gate, Islami Andolan Bangladesh’s Senior Nayeb-e-Ameer Mufti Syed Muhammad Faizul Karim (Shaikh-e-Charmonai) pressed the same demands.
He urged the government to hold a referendum on PR, insisting that most people supported the system.
“If BNP trusts the people, then what problem do they have with PR? Let them win 90% of the votes and run the country with 270 seats.
But why don’t they trust the people?” Faizul asked.
He also raised suspicions of “external pressure” in delaying constitutional recognition of the July Charter, warning that elections without reforms would appear to favour one party.
The Islami Andolan leader dismissed suggestions that simultaneous Islamist rallies were being orchestrated by one political group. “Our movement is independent. Different groups are agitating for the same demands in their own way,” he said.
Leaders of Islami Andolan also criticised recent education policies, including the recruitment of music teachers in schools, describing it as misplaced when core subjects still lack instructors.
Principal Hafiz Maulana Sheikh Fazlay Bari Masud, president of Islami Andolan’s Dhaka North unit, alleged that the National Consensus Commission had refused to put PR on its agenda “because of orders from above.” He demanded clarity on “which forces” were influencing the decision.
The rallies, which began with recitations from the Quran, culminated in processions across Dhaka. Similar protests will continue in divisional cities on Friday, with major gatherings planned in Badda and Dholaikhal where Islami Andolan chief and Charmonai Pir Mufti Syed Muhammad Rezaul Karim is expected to speak.
Later in the day, Jamaat-e-Islami’s Dhaka city units organised another rally at the south gate of Baitul Mukarram, reiterating the demand for constitutional recognition of the July Charter and the adoption of PR.
In total, seven Islamist parties—including Jamaat, Islami Andolan, and Khelafat-e-Majlis—staged separate processions and rallies across Dhaka, uniting around the call to enshrine the July Charter in law, implement proportional representation, and ensure a level playing field for the upcoming election.
