Jamaat says enacting people’s referendum key to forging unity amid sabotage acts

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Assistant Secretary General AHM Hamidur Rahman Azad on Sunday urged the government to implement the February referendum verdict, saying it was the only way to forge national resistance against the destabilising activities of “fascist forces.”

National unity cannot be built “only in words” but rather through common, mutually acceptable policies, commitments and effective measures, he said at a press briefing following an emergency liaison committee meeting at the party’s central office in Dhaka.

The meeting and the briefing were attended by Jamaat’s partners in the 11-party opposition alliance.

In the briefing it was also announced that the opposition’s Sylhet long march next week, which would call for referendum verdict implementation, has been deferred owing to logistical and transportation issues.

Addressing reporters, Hamidur Rahman Azad, also coordinator in the alliance, alleged that the BNP government was walking back on its pledge to enact crucial state reform measures, and also discarding the reforms adopted by the interim government.

He warned the government against returning the country to days of uncertainty by trashing people’s call for state reforms. Mere constitutional amendments would not satisfy people’s aspirations, and comprehensive reforms are needed, he said.

He stated that the opposition alliance would respond positively to calls for broader national unity only if the government takes concrete steps toward implementing the referendum verdict, forming an all-party constitutional reform council, ensuring justice for the July killings, and protecting public safety.

He said that “successes” in the past three long marches staged by the opposition point to people’s dissatisfaction with government measures.

The Jamaat leader also alleged that the government was failing to combat renewed violence in the country allegedly perpetrated by Awami League and its associates, which are banned from conducting political activities for their role in the July Uprising killings.

The 11-party alliance has postponed its 21 November long march toward Sylhet, Hamidur Rahman Azad said, citing dilapidated highway conditions, railway logistical hurdles, and concerns over public suffering.

Azad explained that poor road conditions initially prompted organisers to consider holding the march by train. However, scheduling conflicts, single-track railway constraints, and the need to make repeated stops for speeches risked causing severe disruption for both participants and regular passengers. Despite the postponement, he stressed that the coalition will continue pressing its seven-point charter of demands through peaceful, democratic protests.

Addressing political developments, Azad warned that bypassing the referendum mandate or failing to form a reform council will not resolve Bangladesh's ongoing political and constitutional crisis:

Law and order

Criticising what he called a failure to contain bomb attacks, arson, and terrorism, Azad demanded that the government address the deteriorating security situation in parliament and take strict legal action against perpetrators regardless of political affiliation.

Dismissing speculation of internal rifts, Azad maintained that the coalition remains united.

Senior alliance leaders attending the meeting included National Citizen Party Joint Convener Ariful Islam Adeeb, Liberal Democratic Party Acting Secretary General Md. Billal Hossain Miazi, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis Joint Secretary General Maulana Ataullah Amin, Jatiya Ganatantrik Party Vice President Engineer Rashed Pradhan, Bangladesh Khelafat Andolon Secretary General Mufti Fakhrul Islam, Nezam-e-Islam Party Secretary General Maulana Musa Bin Izhar, Bangladesh Labour Party Acting Secretary General Khandaker Mirajul Islam, Amar Bangladesh Party Joint General Secretary Advocate Abdullah Al Mamun Rana, and Bangladesh Development Party General Secretary Nizamul Haque Nayeem.