No election without reform, justice: Nahid

National Citizen Party (NCP) Convenor Nahid Islam alleged on Wednesday that certain forces are pressing for the forthcoming national election without implementing essential reforms or ensuring trials of the perpetrators of the mass killings during the 2024 uprising, solely to seize state power.
He added that efforts are also being made to rehabilitate ousted fascist elements within the country’s political landscape.
Speaking to journalists at the National Memorial on Independence Day, after paying respects to the martyrs of 1971, Nahid Islam expressed deep concerns about the current political situation.

He was accompanied by Member Secretary Akhtar Hossain, Senior Joint Convenor Ariful Islam Adib, Senior Joint Member Secretary Nahida Sarwar Nibas, and other senior party leaders.
He criticised the authorities for bypassing demands for justice and electoral reforms, stating that an election held without these fundamental changes would only serve those in power rather than the people.

“While the focus should be on ensuring fair governance, we are instead witnessing moves to reinstate fascist forces,” he said. “The NCP will resist such efforts and carry forward the aspirations of a true mass uprising.”
Nahid Islam also reflected on Bangladesh’s repeated struggles to safeguard its independence.
“We fought for our freedom, yet time and again, it has been taken from us. The people have shed blood too many times. On this day, their hope is simple—that they will not have to do so again. That is why we cannot accept an election without genuine reforms.”
He drew a parallel between the Liberation War of 1971 and the recent 2024 mass uprising, asserting that they are part of the same struggle for justice and equality.
“For 15 years, fascism took hold in Bangladesh because we failed to uphold the true spirit of 1971. Now, in 2024, we are once again demanding a society free from discrimination. Anyone attempting to create a division between these two movements is acting in bad faith and failing to grasp the significance of the recent student-led uprising.”
On the topic of national unity, Nahid Islam dismissed concerns that it had been lost, although he acknowledged that different political groups now pursued separate agendas.
“As long as parties remain committed to the people’s demand for reforms and change, unity is possible. But if anyone abandons these aspirations, then naturally, we cannot stand with them.”