Amid the ongoing political crisis, Chief Adviser (CA) Muhammad Yunus held separate meetings with three political parties on Sunday, sitting with the Jamaat-e-Islami, National Citizens Party (NCP) and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). After the meeting, the representatives of the parties spoke about the issues discussed in a press briefing.
CA Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said the chief adviser reaffirmed his commitment to holding the national election through continued dialogue with political parties, also making it clear it would be held within the previously announced timeframe .
"CA Yunus has said that the national parliamentary election will be held in the first half of February next year in a free, fair, and festive environment. He has made it clear that there is no alternative to holding the election," Alam told media.
He added that the chief adviser believed anyone considering an alternative to the election posed a serious threat to the nation.
CA Yunus firmly stated that the primary responsibility of the interim government is to ensure a free, fair, and peaceful election. Alam added, "The CA has repeatedly emphasised that this election will be one of the best in the history of Bangladesh."
The meeting was fruitful: BNP
The last meeting of the day took place between the chief adviser and a BNP delegation, which the party's Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir described as "fruitful".
"The chief adviser has assured us that the election will be staged in February. We believe him. The election will be held as per the schedule announced by the Election Commission," Fakhrul said.
"We were concerned that there might be a conspiracy to delay the election. But the chief adviser has reassured us that there is nothing to worry about."
Fakhrul added that the BNP delegation raised concerns about the political environment and the nature of the election-time government. He emphasised that the dialogue between BNP's acting chairman Tarique Rahman, who joined virtually from London, and the chief adviser was productive and had helped ease tensions.
"This meeting has reassured the entire nation," Fakhrul said.
The recent attack on Gono Odhikar Parishad leader Nurul Haque Nur was also discussed at the meeting. Fakhrul called the incident deeply concerning and condemnable, and demanded a thorough investigation.
"We believe a certain force is behind this, trying to delay the election," he added.
When asked about possibly banning the Jatiya Party, Fakhrul clarified, "That issue was not discussed. The chief adviser focused solely on the electoral process and political environment, and he reassured us on both."
In response to Jamaat-e-Islami's criticism over the chief adviser's meeting with Tarique in London, Fakhrul stated, "The chief adviser met with the leader of one of the country's major political parties. It is fully within his jurisdiction to meet with any party head. It was entirely his decision."
The eight-member BNP delegation, led by Fakhrul, also included senior leaders Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Goyeshwar Chandra Roy, Abdul Moyeen Khan, Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Salahuddin Ahmed, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud Tuku, and AZM Zahid Hossain.
Next election has to be a constituent assembly election: NCP
The National Citizen Party (NCP) believes that the upcoming election must be held as a constituent assembly election to provide a legal and constitutional foundation for the July Charter.
Speaking to reporters after their meeting with the chief adviser, Ariful Islam Adib, the party's senior joint convener, stated, "To provide the July Charter with a legal and constitutional foundation, the upcoming election must be a constituent assembly election. Through this election, we believe a permanent solution can be found to Bangladesh's long-standing 54- or 55-year crisis and the rise of a one-person-centric power structure."
Claiming that the rehabilitation, treatment and security of those killed and injured in the mass uprising have not yet been ensured, Islam added, "Even a year after the July Uprising, the treatment and rehabilitation of the injured have not been ensured. Even when the martyr's family went to the field, the police charged at them with batons. We have urged the chief adviser to ensure their rehabilitation and security."
Islam further said that the NCP has sought the government's cooperation in bringing back the supporters of the July uprising that have been detained in the UAE.
The party also demanded that action be taken against the members of relevant state agencies, taking into account the report of the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances.
In addition, the NCP sought the intervention of the chief adviser to ensure the capacity and impartiality of the Election Commission.
Expressing the NCP's position in favour of banning the Jatiya Party's organisational activities, Islam said, "There is no difference between the Awami League and the Jatiya Party. Since the Awami League's activities are suspended and the Jatiya Party is active in bringing them back to the elections, the government needs to take effective steps to suspend the Jatiya Party's activities as well."
NCP Chief Organiser (South) Hasnat Abdullah, Senior Joint Member Secretary Tasnim Jara and Senior Joint Chief Coordinator Abdul Hannan Masud were present in the meeting.
Jamaat is concerned
After meeting with the CA, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami's Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher told reporters that the proportional representation system and the subpar law and order situation were both discussed.
The Jamaat leader said, "We said that there is still a lot of time. We have to make the right decisions and ensure elections. It seems now that this government has given up. You have to be even more strict now. Besides, the fascist accomplices who are sitting in different places in the government must be removed immediately.
"We have discussed a referendum with the people to bring in the PR system. If the people want it, then it will happen. If not, then it will not happen," he added.
Taher also said that the chief adviser assured him of three things.
Firstly, the chief adviser said he would address some issues which cause the elections to repeatedly be questioned. In addition, he said the trial of the July criminals would be visible.
Stating that two to three parties have always maintained unconditional consensus in the consensus commission meetings, the Jamaat leader said, "We have seen that democratic opinions are always given priority to reach a consensus. But unfortunately, a small number of parties are obstructing the implementation of the consensus.
"They say that the elected government will implement these in the future. If the next elected government comes and implements them, then why did we come here and reach a consensus, and why was the decision taken? We are trying to implement the reforms by keeping in mind the spirit of the July uprising, and it will be implemented now, that is natural."
At this time, citing the three parts of faith - verbal recognition, holding it in the heart and putting it into action – he said, "There are three parts to our national life. One is to reach a consensus, number two is to give it a legal basis and then implement it. So far, we have only reached a consensus. But some parties are preventing the legal basis and implementation. If July is not given a legal basis, it will be a betrayal of the blood of the martyrs. We want the full implementation of the charter, and the next elections will be held based on this charter."
During the meeting, the chief adviser assured Jamaat that trials related to the July uprising would be ensured before the elections, said Taher. He said, "We have said that not all trials will be held in one day. But the trials must continue. Along with this, a free, fair and impartial election will be held."
Although everyone agreed with this, Jamaat also believes that some foreign forces are obstructing the election process.
At the same time, this Jamaat leader also criticised the announcement of the election date. He said, "Announcing the election date after discussing with one party is an unprecedented incident. In this regard, one party has been given benefits."
Taher also criticised the July Declaration, claiming, "The July Declaration that was issued on 5 August was not based on consensus. The interim government avoided some issues there. It is impartial and incomplete."
Taher also claimed that the government was forced to announce the election date under pressure.
He said that they have no hesitation about the election date. However, Jamaat believes that announcing the election date without implementing the July Charter is an incorrect decision.
"One party got things exactly the way it wanted. That is why they are satisfied. But the rest of us, we are united in our stance: the July Charter must be implemented. We have spoken in favour of the PR system. Of the 31 parties that sat for consensus talks, 25 of them support PR. The leftist and Islamist parties want PR. So, we have said that the majority political parties want PR. Many parties want PR in the Upper House. We want PR in both houses. Learning from the past elections, we think that elections should be held under a new system. Otherwise, there will be elections to capture the centre as before."
At this time, Taher also spoke about the clash between the leaders and activists of the Gono Odhikar Parishad and Jatiya Party in Kakrail. He said, "The attack on Nur is not only condemnable and sad, but must be brought to justice immediately."
Comments