8 parties warn of indefinite sit-in at Jamuna by Nov 16

Staff Reporter:

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and seven other Islamist political parties have warned of an indefinite sit-in in front of the chief adviser’s official residence, Jamuna, if their five-point demands are not fulfilled by November 16.

The announcement came Wednesday at a joint press conference of the eight-party alliance at the Al-Falah Auditorium in Dhaka’s Moghbazar. Jamaat’s Nayeb-e-Ameer, Mujibur Rahman, declared the new programme on behalf of the coalition.

At the press conference, Mujibur Rahman said the alliance would stage a nationwide showdown on November 13 to resist what he described as the “sabotage and conspiracies of fascist forces.” He urged all “patriotic and anti-fascist citizens” to take to the streets alongside the alliance to defend the spirit of the July revolution. According to Mujibur Rahman, the eight parties will also hold protest marches across

all districts and major cities on November 14, pressing their five-point charter of demands. These include the full implementation of the July National Charter and holding a national referendum before the upcoming general election.

The leaders further announced that on November 16, at 11 a.m., the top leadership of the alliance would meet to assess the government’s response. A follow-up press conference is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. the same day at the Al-Falah Auditorium.

“If the people’s demands are not met by then, we will announce an indefinite sit-in in front of Jamuna,” Mujibur Rahman said.

When asked if these programmes were designed to delay the election, Jamaat’s Secretary General, Mia Golam Porwar, rejected the allegation. He stated that the parties wanted the election to be held by February 12.

“Our ameer has already said that if the order for implementing the July Charter is issued and a referendum is held in November, we have no objection to an election even in January,” Porwar clarified.

Leaders from several allied parties attended the joint briefing, including Islami Andolan Bangladesh Secretary General Yunus Ahmad, Khilafat Majlis Ameer Maulana Abdul Basit, Jamaat’s Assistant Secretary General Rafiqul Islam Khan, Ehsanul Mahbub Zubair, Islami Andolan Presidium member Ashraf Ali Akon, and Jatiya Ganotantrik Party (Jagpa) Vice-President Rashed Pradhan.

The warning marks the latest escalation in the Islamist bloc’s ongoing campaign centred on the “July revolution” — a political uprising that reshaped Bangladesh’s governance earlier this year.

Since then, the eight parties have repeatedly pressed the interim administration to institutionalise the changes through the July National Charter, which they say embodies the people’s mandate for political reform, accountability, and an Islamic democratic framework.

The interim government, meanwhile, has urged all parties to maintain calm as preparations continue for the 13th national election, tentatively scheduled for early next year. However, with the Islamist alliance now threatening a siege of the chief adviser’s residence, political observers warn that tensions could rise sharply if the government fails to address their demands within the stated deadline.