Seven political parties, including Jamaat-e-Islami, will stage separate protest marches and rallies in Dhaka tomorrow (18 September) to press for a set of common demands, including holding the national election in February on the basis of the July Charter.
The other parties are Islami Andolan Bangladesh, two factions of Khelafat Majlish, Jatiya Ganatantrik Party (Jagpa), Khelafat Andolan, and Nezame Islam Party.
Their common demands include holding the election based on the July Charter; introducing the proportional representation (PR) system in the parliament; ensuring a level playing field for a free, fair and acceptable election; making justice visible for all the repression, mass killings, and corruption committed by the fascist government; and banning the activities of the previous regime’s allies including Jatiya Party, by trying them in a special tribunal.
Jamaat will hold its protest rally at 4:30pm at the south gate of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque, organised by its Dhaka city north and south units. Top leaders of the party are expected to address the gathering.
After the noon prayer, Islami Andolan, led by its senior nayeb-e-ameer Mufti Syed Muhammad Faizul Karim, will bring out a procession from the mosque’s north gate.
On the same demands, one faction of Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish will march from the mosque’s north gate after the Asr prayer, organised by its Dhaka city north and south units. Besides, Jagpa, led by Rashed Pradhan, will rally in front of the Bijoynagar water tank; Khelafat Andolan will gather in front of the National Press Club at 12:30 pm; and another faction of Khelafat Majlish will march from the same location at 3pm.
Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish Secretary General Jalal Uddin Ahmed said these demands represent “a pledge to protect a fascism-free Bangladesh achieved at the cost of people’s blood.”
He urged all to join the protests spontaneously, adding, “By making these protest marches historically successful, strong public opinion will be built to implement the five-point demand, and the people will firmly reject any whimsical move against the aspirations of the July–August revolution.”