Bangladesh faces political turmoil as parties clash on referendum schedule

New Delhi: Political crisis deepened in Bangladesh over the timing of the referendum, as political parties remain divided on this critical issue.

Muhammad Yunus, interim head of the administration, announced that elections will be held in February next year, but Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League has been barred from participating in them.

While the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) wants the national election to be held on priority, Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Citizens Party favour that the referendum should be held in November.

Deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said in an interview with a foreign media agency that the ban on the Awami League is unjust and self-defeating. She said there is no question of returning to Bangladesh under any government that excludes her party from the decision-making process. “We are not asking voters to support other parties,” she said.

The BNP rejects the pre-election referendum, while Jamaat-e-Islami and seven other political groups want the referendum to be held in November. These parties have urged the Election Commission to announce the date of the referendum as soon as possible.

The rift among political parties has surfaced at a critical juncture, as national elections are barely four months away. Despite months of dialogue and repeated calls for unity, no consensus has yet emerged.

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General and former MP Mia Golam Parwar has urged that the implementation of the July Charter be followed by a national referendum in November, leading to the next parliamentary elections in February. He made these remarks today at a conference in Dumuria, Khulna.

On the other hand, BNP Secretary General Fakhrul called for national unity, accusing Jamaat-e-Islami of “misleading people by opposing the spirit of the Liberation War.”

“You opposed the Liberation War in 1971; please don’t stand against the people’s right to an election now,” he said at a press conference in Dhaka.

The BNP leader warned that those who act against the will of the people will be rejected. “The people of this country never forgive betrayal. Step away from that path. Participate in the election, and let the people’s right be restored through their votes — that’s what we all want,” he said.