Jamaat, seven religion-based parties warn of indefinite sit-in over Charter, referendum

The Jamaat-e-Islami and seven religion-based parties have threatened to stage an indefinite sit-in in front of the chief advisor’s official residence, calling for the July National Charter implementation order by Sunday and a referendum in November.

The announcement came on Wednesday afternoon at a media briefing at the Al-Falah Hall in Mogbazar following a meeting of the top leaders of the eight parties.

Jamaat deputy chief Mujibur Rahman unveiled the planned protests on behalf of all eight parties. 

•    Thursday, Nov 13: Party leaders and activists will occupy streets across the country to “prevent sabotage and obstruction by fascist forces”.

•    Friday, Nov 14: The eight parties will stage protest marches at district and metropolitan levels, demanding the issuance of the July Charter implementation order, holding a referendum in November, and pressing four other demands.

•    Sunday, Nov 16: The top leaders of the eight parties will hold another meeting at 11am, followed by a media briefing at 12:30pm at Al-Falah Hall.

The National Consensus Commission, backed by 25 parties, recommended issuing an order to implement the July Charter and obtaining public approval for proposed reforms through a referendum.

A sharp disagreement persists among political parties on the referendum’s timing. The BNP prefers it to coincide with the national elections in February, while Jamaat and its allies are pushing for a November referendum.

Although the commission issued its recommendation on Oct 31, the government has yet to resolve outstanding issues, including who will issue the July Charter order and when.

On Tuesday, Law Advisor Asif Nazrul said the implementation process will be clarified “within the next three to four days”. The following day, Jamaat and its seven allies set a Sunday deadline for the government.