NCP Senior Joint Convenor Ariful Islam Adeeb spoke to reporters after a meeting with Chief Adviser Prof. Dr. Muhammad Yunus. Photo: BSS

DHAKA, Aug 31, 2025 (BSS) – National Citizen Party (NCP) has urged the interim government to take effective move to immediately suspend the organizational activities of the Jatiya Party, accusing it of acting as a political front for Awami League and legitimizing a series of illegal elections.
 
The party also reiterated its demand that the next national election must be a Constituent Assembly election to pave the way for drafting a new constitution, aiming to resolve the long-standing political crisis rooted in centralized and authoritarian governance.
 
“Jatiya Party participated in the elections as Awami League-nominated candidates. Their campaign posters even identified their candidates as 'Awami League-nominated.' This proves that there is no longer any distinction between the Awami League and the Jatiya Party,” NCP Senior Joint Convenor Ariful Islam Adeeb told journalists after a meeting with Chief Adviser Prof. Dr Muhammad Yunus.
 
Adeeb said, “Over the past few days, we have observed that the government itself, through the July Declaration, has clearly acknowledged that the last three national elections were held unlawfully, and through these illegal elections, a fascist regime was installed in power.  And the Jatiya Party directly participated in those three illegal elections, effectively acting as a collaborator of that fascist regime and playing an active role in legitimizing those fraudulent processes.”
 
“Moreover, in the most recent election, campaign posters from the Jatiya Party made it evident — both factions of the party, led by Secretary Generals Mujibul Haque Chunnu and Shamim Haider Patwary, openly labeled themselves as “Awami League-nominated candidates.”
 
This clearly demonstrates that there is virtually no distinction between the Jatiya Party and the Awami League, he said, adding, “Given that the organizational activities of the Awami League have already been suspended by the state, and that the Jatiya Party is openly working to bring a banned political force into the electoral process, we believe that the organizational activities of the Jatiya Party must also be suspended without delay.”
 
Considering the Jatiya Party’s past role in legitimizing an illegal parliament and its ongoing public alignment with a banned organization, we have drawn the attention of the Chief Adviser to this matter and urged the government to take stronger and more decisive action, he said.
 
The NCP delegation also included Chief Organizer (Southern Region) Hasnat Abdullah, Senior Joint Member Secretary Dr. Tasnim Zara, and Senior Joint Chief Coordinator Abdul Hannan Masud.
While briefing reporters, Adeeb said, “We primarily discussed five important issues— rehabilitation of the martyrs and injured, the release of detained comrades abroad, the implementation of the Disappearance Commission’s report, steering the upcoming election toward a Constituent Assembly election for drafting a new constitution, and the issue of the Jatiya Party.”
 
NCP also spoke about the diaspora’s participation in the movement. “During the July uprising, our comrades abroad, including many in the UAE, actively participated. Some of them were detained. Although some efforts have been made to assist them, 25 of our comrades still remain entangled in legal complications there. We have urged the government to take further steps in this regard,” said the NCP leader.
 
Regarding enforced disappearances, the NCP urged the government to implement the recent Disappearance Commission report fully and to take action against implicated state agency members.
 
 “Yesterday was International Day of Victims of Enforced Disappearances. The commission clearly outlined in their report that, for the past 15 years, extrajudicial killings and disappearances have taken place, with allegations pointing toward state agencies. We demand that the government act on this report and take concrete action against those members of the state apparatus who have been implicated,” said the NCP leader.
 
They welcomed the government’s initiative to reinstate university student union elections but emphasized the need for these elections to be free, fair, and unobstructed.
 
Regarding electoral reforms, the NCP urged the Election Commission to reconsider voting eligibility, allowing those turning 18 by February—many of whom actively participated in the uprising—to vote, not just those reaching 18 by October 31.
 
Expressing concern over entrenched establishment elements undermining democracy, the NCP warned that business, media, and security sectors within the government continue efforts to preserve the old power structures, citing recent attacks on opposition leaders as alarming signs.
 
NCP also raised concern about unsolved murder cases linked to the Awami League and called for coordinated legal actions to bring all perpetrators to justice. 
 
NCP reiterated its demand that the next national election must be a Constituent Assembly election to establish a new constitutional framework and resolve the country’s enduring political challenges.

He ended with a clear demand: “We have said it before and we’ll say it again — the next election must be a Constituent Assembly election.”