Eight Islamist parties rally at Paltan for July Charter, referendum

They are pushing for a five-point list of demands

Eight Islamist political parties have gathered at Dhaka’s Paltan intersection to press home a five-point list of demands, including issuing an order to implement the July Charter and holding a referendum on it by the end of November.

The rally began around 2pm on Tuesday with a recitation from the Quran.

The parties – Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Islami Andolan Bangladesh, Khelafat Majlis, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, Bangladesh Khelafat Andolon, Bangladesh Nezam-E-Islam Party, Jatiya Ganatantrik Party (JAGPA), and Bangladesh Development Party – have been waging a joint movement for the past four months, demanding electoral reforms such as the introduction of a proportional representation (PR) system.

Leaders and supporters arrived in processions from different parts of the capital, filling the Paltan area with banners, placards and slogans calling for a “level playing field” and “implementation of the July Charter”.

Jamaat-e-Islami chief Shafiqur Rahman is presiding over the rally, with Islami Andolan Bangladesh’s Amir Mufti Syed Md Rezaul Karim attending as the chief guest.

Addressing the gathering, Jamaat Assistant Secretary General Hamidur Rahman Azad accused the government of blocking the path of dialogue.

“The people did not block the path of dialogue to resolve the crisis. The government itself has blocked that path by bowing to political pressure,” he said.

Azad described the four-month-long movement as a “reflection of the people’s aspirations”, adding that the coalition’s fifth phase of protests was “no longer an ordinary gathering, but a historic declaration”.

He warned that if the government continued to ignore the parties’ demands, the movement would intensify.

“The referendum is not just a political demand anymore—it has become a decisive national necessity,” he said.

Jamaat’s Dhaka Metropolitan North Secretary Mohammad Rezaul Karim cautioned that no election would be allowed without the July Charter being implemented and a referendum being held.

The parties’ five demands include:

Issuing an order to implement the July Charter and holding a referendum by November;

Introducing the proportional representation system in both houses of parliament in the upcoming national election;

Holding free and acceptable elections ensuring equal opportunities for all;

Making the Awami League government’s “atrocities, genocide and corruption” public; and

Banning the activities of the Jatiya Party and the 14-Party Alliance.