How 9-point charter of demand emerged during student movement, narrates coordinator Kader

The ‘one-point’ demand for the fall of the government followed the path of the 9-point, the coordinator says in a Facebook post

Abdul Kader, one of the key coordinators of the Anti-discrimination Student Movement, has revealed that the 9-point charter of demand, which were brought forward after the death during the quota reform movement for government jobs, were made following the advice of the general secretary of the Dhaka University branch of Islami Chhatra Shibir.

On Facebook, Kader disclosed the events the day after Sadiq Kayem, president of Shibir’s Dhaka University chapter, revealed his identity. The Shibir leader’s name was mentioned as 'Farhad.' However, while the name of the Shibir's Dhaka University chief has been announced, the name of the secretary has not yet been disclosed.

The ‘one-point’ demand for the fall of the government followed the path paved by the 9-point charter of demand. After the declaration of the non-cooperation movement on Aug 3 based on the one-point demand, the government fell on the second day. Amid widespread violence, Sheikh Hasina, who has been prime minister for 15 and a half years, resigned and left the country.

In a Facebook post, coordinator Kader shared the backstory of the creation of the ‘nine demands,’ writing: “Shibir played an important role in spreading the nine demands. Since there was no internet and in the midst of gunfire and curfews, they risked their lives to deliver the demands house to house. They also arranged for them to reach foreign journalists.”

HOW CONTACT WITH SHIBIR WAS ESTABLISHED

Coordinator Kader also shared how communication with Shibir was established.

He recounted that at the beginning of the movement, the interim government’s information advisor Nahid Islam introduced him to someone, and later, there were multiple communications with this person about the movement.

Kader later found out that this individual was the student movement secretary of Dhaka University Shibir. However, at that time, there was no direct communication with the president and secretary of Shibir.

Efforts are ongoing to reach Kader for further comments on his statements made on Facebook. bdnews24.com has also been unable to contact Farhad, whom Kader mentioned as the general secretary of Dhaka University Shibir.

DECISION FROM THE ONLINE MEETING ON JULY 16

On the night of Jul 16, during an online meeting following the deaths of six individuals, including Abu Sayed during a protest at Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur, the coordinators decided not to limit the movement solely to the demand for quota reform, Kader revealed.

He wrote, “At that moment, everyone raised their voices, saying that after the deaths of six people, we couldn’t settle for just quota reform. Following this, a long discussion ensued, during which additional demands emerged, including the resignation of the home minister.”

Kader also highlighted how, starting from Jul 1 with the ‘Bangla Blockade’ programme organised by the Anti-discrimination Student Movement and the submission of a memorandum to President Md Shahabuddin, the government remained completely indifferent.

He wrote, “The government paid no heed to discussions. They quietly observed the situation, using the High Court as a shield. However, when the situation worsened and six people were martyred, that very day, the government initiated efforts for dialogue, pressuring us through various channels to sit for talks. But, as always, we rejected the invitation and expressed our firm stance, despite the internal and external pressures to engage in discussions.”

On Jul 17, after police fired shots during a funeral prayer in absentia at Dhaka University, Kader and several others were injured, while Hannan Masud was shot.

Kader, one of the key coordinators, explained how they adopted a strategic stance to avoid arrest while continuing the movement. He shared: “From then on, we decided to avoid arrest to keep leading the movement strategically.”

On Jul 18, the day of the 'complete shutdown' programme, Kader and Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan separated and went to different locations from the same house. That night, the internet was shut down. To keep the movement going and avoid arrest, Kader and others kept changing locations frequently, and they struggled to maintain communication with anyone.

CALL FROM SHIBIR'S DHAKA UNIVERSITY SECRETARY

Kader recounted that on Jul 19, while protesting in the Jatrabari area, Shibir's Dhaka University unit secretary Farhad called him. Farhad told him that several movement coordinators were about to engage in discussions with government ministers, which Farhad described as “betraying the blood of so many martyrs,” and warned that the movement would end if they went ahead with the talks.

He advised that some demands should be put forward to continue the movement and that they could not betray the people.

Kader agreed.

He wrote: “We already had the position of continuing the movement. Besides, I had some demands in mind from the meeting [on the night of Jul 16]. However, the leaders needed to carry on with the movement were not present. They couldn’t locate Asif or Nahid.

Without overthinking, Kader decided to take the risk. He witnessed several people being shot and killed in Jatrabari right after Friday prayers, saying, “They were shooting people like birds right before my eyes. I couldn’t accept it.”

A little later, Shibir's Dhaka University secretary called him again.

Kader wrote: “He said ‘I’ve drafted a few demands. Let’s discuss them with you’. Since we had already discussed several demands earlier, we combined them, leading to the formation of the 9-point demands.”

Shibir leader Farhad suggested several demands, such as the resignation of the home minister, the dismissal of police personnel involved in student killings, bringing terrorists to justice, and the resignation of the vice-chancellor—many of which were discussed during the Jul 16 meeting after the death of the six martyrs. People were raising similar demands on social media.

DEMAND TO BAN STUDENT POLITICS

Toward the end, the secretary of Shibir’s Dhaka University unit added a demand to ban student politics on campus. Kader didn’t agree, and a long discussion followed.

Kader eventually proposed a compromise, saying: “We can’t outright ban student politics. However, we can call for a ban on partisan student politics.”

It was ultimately decided that “partisan student politics must be banned”.

NEW PHONE AND SIM ON SHIBIR’S ADVICE

Kader shared that Shibir advised him to get a new SIM and mobile phone. “I collected a SIM from a student’s house and included that number in the press release with the 9-point demands. That evening, I walked about 4 to 5 kilometres from home and informed journalists that I knew about the demands.”

Kader had connections with campus journalists due to his occasional involvement in student politics.

Kader wrote the demands one by one in text messages from his basic button phone and sent them to a journalist. He also spoke with some foreign media outlets that night.

From then on, Kader spent each night away from home, switching on his phone to talk to journalists for 2-3 hours before turning it off and returning home.

“My house was next to Jatrabari Police Station. Despite the fear of arrest, I had to stay at home. In the beginning, I had nowhere else to go. Some nights I slept in mosques, some outside, or on the rooftop, returning home late at night.”

“That’s the story of the historic 9-point demands—our 9-point demands, the manifesto for liberation from the ‘fascist Hasina,’” Kader wrote.