MM Rahmatullah: Senior women leaders from the 11-Party Alliance on Monday called for the implementation of the "July Charter," warning of a fresh political movement if the charter and the mandate claimed through a national referendum are not enforced.
The warning came at a discussion marking the second anniversary of the July Mass Uprising, held at the Liberation War Memorial Hall of the Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh (IDEB) in the capital.
Addressing the event as chief guest, Jatiya Ganatantrik Party (JAGPA) President Barrister Tasmia Pradhan, MP, alleged that the July Charter, drafted through a National Consensus Commission after the July uprising, had received public approval through a referendum but remained unimplemented.
She claimed that the BNP had "betrayed the spirit of July" by refusing to take the oath under the proposed Constituent Assembly framework and warned that a new movement would be launched to ensure the implementation of what she described as the people`s verdict.
"We will build another movement for the martyrs of July. The verdict of the referendum must be implemented at any cost," she said.
Tasmia also argued that if the July Charter were declared invalid, questions would also arise over the legitimacy of the current government, which she claimed was established on the basis of the same political process. She demanded the dissolution of the parliamentary constitutional amendment committee and called for the formation of a separate Constitutional Reform Council.
The programme was chaired by Marzia Begum, MP, Assistant Secretary of the Women`s Wing of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, while Rokeya Begum, mother of July movement child martyr Jabir Ibrahim, formally inaugurated the discussion.
Speaking at the event, Jamaat-e-Islami Women`s Wing Assistant Secretary Saida Rumana described the 2024 mass movement as a historic anti-discrimination revolution that paved the way for the present parliament and government. She said the aspirations of the uprising could not be fulfilled without implementing the July Charter and the referendum outcome.
Monira Sharmin, Convener of Jatiya Nari Shakti of the National Citizen Party (NCP), called for proper recognition of all sacrifices, including those made during the July movement and the Shapla incident. She alleged that the government lacked sincerity in implementing the referendum verdict and stressed that political unity was essential to build a "new Bangladesh."
NCP Joint Chief Organiser (South) and National Nari Shakti Member Secretary Dr. Mahmuda Mitu, MP, said the contributions of women martyrs during the July movement often remained overlooked. She urged equal remembrance and state recognition for all martyrs regardless of gender.
In her closing remarks, chairperson Marzia Begum said the July uprising represented not only a political movement but also a broader call for ending state discrimination. She maintained that implementing the July Charter was essential to preserving the ideals of the movement and pledged to continue the campaign both inside parliament and on the streets.
Among others, Jamaat-e-Islami Media and Publicity Secretary Nazmun Nahar Nilu, MP, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish leader Engineer Mahbuba Hakim, Labour Party Joint Secretary General Sabina Yasmin, Dr. Habiba Chowdhury Sweet, Advocate Mahbuba Akter, Professor Mosammat Karima Khatun, Ayesha Siddika Parveen, DUCSU Executive Member Sabikunnahar Tamanna, and family members of July martyrs, including Razia Sultana and Maria Sultana, also addressed the programme.
The speakers paid tribute to those killed during the July Mass Uprising and reiterated their demand for implementing the July Charter in line with what they described as the referendum mandate. They also urged political parties to overcome divisions and work together toward establishing a democratic and justice-based state.
The report is based on statements and claims made by speakers at the discussion programme. The allegations and political assertions made during the event were not independently verified.
