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Published : 02 Apr 2026, 04:15 PM
The Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party alliance has announced protests demanding constitutional reform in line with a referendum verdict.
The Opposition bloc is set to hold a rally and procession at the north gate of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque in Dhaka on Saturday afternoon.
The announcement came on Thursday following a meeting of the alliance in Gulshan, with Jamaat Assistant Secretary General Hamidur Rahman Azad briefing the media.
On Wednesday, Jamaat lawmakers walked out of parliament, claiming no remedy was provided for an adjournment motion seeking to convene a Constitution Reform Council meeting.
The July National Charter (Constitution Reform) Implementation Order was issued during the tenure of the past interim government, specifying how the 48 reform proposals related to the Constitution under the July National Charter would be implemented.
A referendum was held on Feb 12, the day of the parliamentary election, to seek public approval for its implementation.
As the “yes” vote won in the referendum, according to the implementation order, current members of parliament were also supposed to serve as members of the Constitution Reform Council.
Like parliament, the first session of the council was supposed to be convened within 30 calendar days of the announcement of the election results.
Although members of opposition parties such as Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Citizen Party (NCP) took two oaths that day, BNP MPs did not take their oaths as members of the Constitution Reform Council and the council was not formed within the stipulated time.
On Sunday, opposition leader Shafiqur submitted an adjournment motion on a matter of public importance, followed by another motion on Monday by independent MP Sk Mozibur Rahman Iqbal regarding the July National Charter’s implementation. Neither proposal received a decision.
Alleging that their demands were being sidelined, Shafiqur told a press conference: "We will return to the people. We will go back to the citizens who delivered this verdict [in the referendum] and launch a movement to realise the demands of the July Charter."
An alliance leader who attended the Thursday meeting told bdnews24.com that they believe BNP will not carry out full reforms but instead wants to bring some amendments to the Constitution. Therefore, they feel the need to remain active in the field and continue protests.
