Police have halted a march of eight Islamic parties at the Matsya Bhaban intersection as they headed towards Jamuna with a memorandum pressing five key demands ahead of the national election.
Meanwhile, senior leaders of the parties are proceeding to the Office of the Chief Adviser to submit their memorandum. The delegation includes Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Professor Mia Golam Porwar, Assistant Secretary General A H M Hamidur Rahman Azad, Khilafat Majlis Naib-e-Ameer Ahmad Ali Qasemi, and JAGPA Vice-President Rashed Pradhan.
The march began around 12:15pm on Thursday (6 November) from Paltan, moving towards the Press Club, with participants chanting slogans demanding a November referendum and other reforms.
As announced earlier, activists from the eight parties gathered at Shapla Chattar before marching to Paltan, where a brief rally was held. They then attempted to proceed towards Jamuna.
From the morning, groups of Jamaat members from Dhaka South headed to Shapla Chattar and later joined the combined rally at Purana Paltan.
The five demands include: issuing an order to implement the July National Charter and holding a referendum by November; introducing proportional representation in both houses in the next national election; ensuring equal opportunities for a free and fair election; initiating visible trials of past repression and corruption; and banning the activities of the Jatiya Party and the 14-party alliance.
The eight participating parties are: Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Islami Andolon Bangladesh, Khilafat Majlis, Bangladesh Khilafat Majlis, Bangladesh Khilafat Andolon, Bangladesh Nezame Islam Party, JAGPA, and Bangladesh Development Party.
TSN