The Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and its seven other allies on Wednesday warned that the holding of the general election might become difficult as the National Consensus Commission submitted its report without mentioning the time for referendum on the July Charter.
The eight Islamic parties, including the Jamaat and the Islami Andolan Bangladesh, issued the warning at a press conference at the National Press Club in Dhaka.
They urged the government to hold a referendum before the next general election on granting legal status to the July National Charter and introducing a proportional representation system for the polls.
Addressing the press conference, Jamaat secretary general Mia Golam Parwar said that the National Consensus Commission handed over its report to the chief adviser on Tuesday, but did not mention the time of holding the referendum.
He stated that the report did not specify whether the referendum would be held on election day or on an earlier date, which would create problems in holding the next general election.
Now, the chief adviser can save the country by announcing a specific date of holding the referendum before the next national election, the Jamaat leader added.
He said that the eight parties would offer a memorandum to the Election Commission on Thursday to press home their five demands, including holding a referendum before the next parliamentary polls.
IAB secretary general Yunus Ahmad, Khelafat Majlish secretary general Ahmed Abdul Kader, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish central leader Yusuf Ashraf, Jatiya Ganatantrik Party vice president Rashed Prodhan , among others, also attended the press conference.
