NCP urges govt to announce roadmap for justice, reforms, elections

Bangladesh desk:  National Citizen Party on Saturday urged the interim government to announce a July Declaration and a comprehensive roadmap combining the trial of the July Uprising killings, reforms, and elections, and to move toward a sustainable solution through inclusive discussions with all parties to restore public confidence and build mutual trust among political forces.

At an emergency press conference held at the party’s temporary office in the city, NCP convener Nahid Islam expressed his expectation that chief adviser Muhammad Yunus would, from his position, engage in political discussions with all parties to work towards a solution to the ongoing political crisis.

‘At the same time, the political parties and each of our people must actually behave responsibly,’ he said.

Nahid said that Muhammad Yunus took charge of the government in the context of a mass uprising, and there were expectations that the interim government would fulfill the people’s demands for justice, reform and a peaceful transition to elections.

He questioned whether the interim government was merely an election-time administration or one meant to realise the goals of the uprising.

Nahid said that, given the circumstances of its formation, the interim government had a responsibility to fulfill the aspirations of the popular uprising.

Citing the list of 626 individuals who sought refuge in cantonments after the August 5, published by the Bangladesh Army, he said that if the army had released the list earlier, it could have prevented public doubt and criticism of the institution.

Nahid highlighted the importance of the army’s role in safeguarding the country’s sovereignty and acknowledged its significance during the mass uprising, but also cautioned against the historical entanglement of the military with politics, which has often harmed democracy and institutional integrity.

‘We know the incident of 1/11. This incident had never brought good results for our democracy, for our state and for our army as an institution,’ he said.

Highlighting past political misuse of state institutions and allegations of human rights violations, including against the bureaucracy, police and army, he called for accountability and trials of accused to restore public trust.

‘We do not know whether the army officers accused of involvement in enforced disappearances have been arrested or what their current status is. If these issues are clarified, the army will earn greater public trust as an institution, and we want to see that trust placed in the army,’ Nahid said.

The NCP leader alleged that there was an attempt to legitimise the elections held during the Awami League’s tenure by seeking validation through the courts, and efforts were being made to portray those elections as legitimate.

He warned that such actions would only lead to further chaos as all anti-fascist political parties had declared the elections held under the Awami regime as illegitimate.

Therefore, instead of creating confusion over those elections, Nahid demanded move towards local government elections to reduce the suffering of the citizens.

He said that the student advisors in the interim government had no affiliation with the National Citizen Party.

He explained that they had joined the government as representatives of the mass uprising and mentioned that he himself was one of them at the time.

Nahid claimed that linking them to the National Citizen Party was a form of propaganda aimed at discrediting them.

‘We strongly condemn and protest the false propaganda linking the two student advisors with the NCP,’ he added.

NCP member secretary Akhtar Hossain, chief organiser Hasnat Abdullah and senior joint convener Samanta sharmin, among others attended the press conference.