Nasiruddin Patwari, Chief Coordinator of the National Citizens Party (NCP), has alleged that the upcoming national parliamentary election is being moved forward to satisfy a specific political party. He condemned the move as a betrayal of the July martyrs.
He made these remarks on Friday (June 13) during a press briefing at the NCP office in Banglamotor, Dhaka.
Referring to the recent meeting in London between Professor Muhammad Yunus, Chief Advisor of Bangladesh’s interim government, and Tarique Rahman, Acting Chairman of the BNP, Patwari stated that the people’s expectations were not met. According to him, the meeting lacked any meaningful connection to the land or the people of Bangladesh.
Earlier in the day, around 2 PM Bangladesh time, a one-on-one meeting took place between Professor Yunus and Tarique Rahman at Hotel Dorchester in London, lasting approximately 90 minutes. Following the meeting, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir expressed optimism, stating that “uncertainty has now been removed.”
BNP-affiliated supporters later claimed that the parliamentary election could take place before the upcoming Ramadan.
According to a joint statement from the BNP and the interim government, the acting BNP chairman proposed holding the national election before Ramadan. He also conveyed that party chairperson Khaleda Zia believed an election during that time would be most appropriate. In response, Chief Advisor Professor Muhammad Yunus reiterated his commitment to holding the election by early April 2026 and added that if all preparations are complete, the election could be held in the week before Ramadan begins.
However, just an hour after the statement, during the press briefing, Nasiruddin Patwari further warned that bypassing judicial reform and structural change would make the election meaningless for the country’s 180 million people. “If elections are held under such circumstances, it will only breed another wave of fascism. The people will be forced into another mass uprising,” he said.
He also criticized holding secret election discussions abroad with a single political party, calling it a move against the public’s desire for a mass movement. “We saw no clear message regarding the July declaration. We received no signals of basic reforms. The only message was an attempt to please a single party,” he said.
Patwari warned that the NCP would not participate in the election unless judicial reform and structural changes were addressed.
In support, Ariful Islam Adib, the party’s Senior Joint Convener, said, “The election schedule should have been announced after consulting the families of the martyrs. Making such a decision by talking to just one party is a dangerous sign.”
NCP’s Joint Convener Sarwar Tushar added, “The mechanism of reform has not been finalized yet. Meanwhile, the Chief Advisor’s rejection of the referendum proposal is not a positive step.”
