Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami on Wednesday criticised the chief adviser's 28-point July Declaration, calling it an incomplete statement centring the decision to leave its implementation to the next elected government.
Speaking at a press conference, Jamaat Nayeb-e-Ameer Abdullah Mohammad Taher said the declaration does not reflect the expectations of the general public.
"By assigning its implementation to the next government, the spirit, hopes, and aspirations of July, earned through the sacrifices and blood of the people, have been undermined. The roadmap for implementing the July National Charter has failed to meet public expectations, creating concern and anxiety among the people," he said while reading the party's statement at the press conference.
Taher commented that unless the July National Charter is created and given legal backing through a decree, Legal Framework Order (LFO), or a referendum before the election schedule is announced, the reform efforts of the interim government will fail.
He said, "Following Bangladesh's past precedents, the current government must promptly complete the drafting of the July National Charter and implement it, and based on this charter, ensure free, fair, and acceptable elections."
Pointing to the announcement of elections in February as positive, Jamaat said the upcoming election must be held based on the July Charter.
At the same time, Taher criticised the announcement of the election schedule as "one-sided" for being made without consultations with political parties.
He stated that the July Declaration should be given legal standing and incorporated into the Constitution.
"The turning point of the July Uprising was the nine-point demand, which was transformed into a single-point demand—but this crucial aspect was ignored in the declaration," he said.
They stated at the press conference that the main aspiration of the July uprising was state reform.
For this purpose, six commissions were formed, and discussions were held with the National Consensus Commission over two phases spanning more than two months. It was decided to draft the July Charter through consensus on 19 issues during the discussions.
However, the Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus' July Declaration did not mention these issues.
It has been rendered insignificant by failing to specify when and how it will be implemented.
By assigning the responsibility of implementation to the next government, the spirit, hopes, and aspirations of July, achieved through the sacrifice and blood of thousands, have been undermined, he said.
Taher added, "We expected the chief advisor to consult with the political parties. Since that did not happen, the nation has been shocked and surprised. Ignoring the long-standing tradition of holding dialogue with political parties before announcing the election date, the election schedule was declared on the very day of the July Declaration. Nevertheless, Jamaat views the chief adviser's announcement positively in the national interest."
Comments