14 November 2026
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Islamist parties launch protest progs for PR polls, other demands

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Banglapress Published: 23 September 2025, 10:26 AM
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Islamist parties launch protest progs for PR polls, other demands
  Bangla Press Desk:  Three Islamist political parties – Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Islami Andolan Bangladesh (IAB) and Khelafat Majlish – have announced separate protest programmes this month to push forward their demands, including holding the next national election under a proportional representation (PR) system and giving legal recognition to the July Charter. Though Jamaat leaders insisted their campaign is not a joint or simultaneous movement, the similarities in timing and agenda between the three parties have drawn attention. All three announced rallies and protest marches in the capital on 18 September, in divisional cities on 19 September, and in districts and upazilas nationwide on 26 September. Jamaat’s five-point demands
At a press conference held at the Al Falah auditorium in Dhaka’s Moghbazar on Monday, Jamaat Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Muhammad Taher set out the party’s five-point demands, which he said would shape the upcoming campaign. These include: arranging the national polls in February on the basis of the July Charter, introducing the PR system in both houses of parliament, ensuring a level playing field for all parties to guarantee a free, fair and acceptable election, making visible the trials of what he termed “atrocities, massacre and corruption of the fascist government”, and banning the activities of the Jatiya Party and its allies in the former 14-party alliance. Reading from a written statement, Taher announced that Jamaat would hold a rally and protest procession in Dhaka on 18 September, followed by marches in all divisional cities on 19 September and in districts and upazilas across the country on 26 September. He cautioned that if these demands were not addressed, the party would escalate its movement.
“If the total five demands remain unmet, we will start a harsher movement with allies to compel the government to meet our demands before the next national election of the country,” Taher warned. Taher argued that Jamaat had long advocated the adoption of PR but that the authorities had shown no sign of moving forward. “In such a situation, there is no alternative to a mass movement to realise the demands,” he said. He added that Jamaat had always played a strong role in giving legal legitimacy to the July Charter. “We believe that without providing a legal basis for the July Charter, the uprising and its achievements, achieved at the cost of the blood of the students and people, may end in failure,” he cautioned.
Taher noted that a roadmap for the parliamentary election had already been set and urged the authorities to ensure free, fair and impartial polls in line with it. Responding to questions from reporters, Taher dismissed speculation that Jamaat was coordinating a simultaneous movement with other Islamist groups. “The demand of other parties is the same as they also agree on PR system polls, but each party is organising programmes separately from their respective places. That is why it is not possible to call it a simultaneous movement; no such decision has been made,” he said. On the possibility of broader alliances, Taher remarked, “The issue of an electoral alliance is a matter of time. However, discussions are underway on whether elections can be held with an understanding with parties that believe in the July spirit.” Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar, assistant secretaries general AHM Hamidur Rahman Azad and Abdul Halim were also present at the press briefing. IAB echoes Jamaat’s demands In a parallel press conference at Islami Andolan Bangladesh’s headquarters in Purana Paltan, party Chairman Syed Muhammad Rezaul Karim, widely known as Charmonai Pir, announced an almost identical set of programmes and demands.
He said IAB would stage a rally and protest procession in Dhaka on 18 September, followed by demonstrations in divisional cities on 19 September, and nationwide protests at district and upazila level on 26 September. “Continuous and more stringent programmes will be given until the demands are met,” Karim declared. The IAB’s five demands mirror those of Jamaat: ensuring the next parliamentary election is held on the basis of the July Charter, adopting the PR system, creating a level playing field, holding visible trials of massacres, and prosecuting the Jatiya Party and the 14-party alliance partners in a special tribunal. Rezaul Karim alleged that the authorities were preoccupied with staging elections quickly, neglecting deeper reforms and justice for crimes committed during Awami League’s rule. “They are focusing only on holding elections at the earliest, while ignoring justice for Awami League’s crimes and state reform measures, which were envisioned by the victims of last year’s uprising,” he said. He further warned that elections conducted under the old state framework would only revive “the days of mass corruption and abuse of power.” Asked whether a joint platform with Jamaat and Khelafat Majlish was possible, Rezaul Karim remained cautious. “It will be known when the time comes,” he said, while stressing that the movement aimed to pressure the government into meeting their demands. “This movement will continue with those who were participants in the mass uprising of 2024,” he added. Khelafat Majlish’s six-point demands At its own press conference on Monday at the party’s central office in Purana Paltan, Khelafat Majlish Secretary General Ahmed Abdul Kader announced a six-point demand package alongside a nationwide protest schedule that mirrors those of Jamaat and IAB. The party’s demands include immediate proclamation and legal recognition of the July National Charter, holding the February 2026 election based on its principles, electing members of the Upper House through the PR system, ensuring visible trials of what Kader described as “crimes committed by Awami fascism and its collaborators”, suspending the political activities of those collaborators and declaring them ineligible for elections, and creating a level playing field for all. Other demands include strong measures to keep elections free from illegal arms, muscle power and black money, and the cancellation of a government order to recruit music teachers in primary schools, to be replaced with the recruitment of religious teachers. Kader said the party believed the July Charter should be given constitutional validity, either through a referendum or via ordinance and executive order. He confirmed that Khelafat Majlish would take out protest processions in Dhaka on 18 September, in divisional cities on 19 September, and across districts and upazilas on 26 September.  This article was originally published on Daily Sun. [Bangla Press is a global platform for free thought. It provides impartial news, analysis, and commentary for independent-minded individuals. Our goal is to bring about positive change, which is more important today than ever before.] BP/SP
[Bangla Press is a global platform for free thought. It provides impartial news, analysis, and commentary for independent-minded individuals. Our goal is to bring about positive change, which is more important today than ever before.]

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