Dhaka, Oct 20 – In a fresh flare of political tension ahead of next year’s national election, the Islamist party Jamaat‑e‑Islami and the National Citizens Party (NCP) have started a heated exchange over a push for proportional representation (PR) in Bangladesh’s elections.
During a joint press briefing in Dhaka, Jamaat and seven other Islamist groups unveiled a three‑day campaign. It is part of the fourth phase of their joint strategy to press their five‑point agenda, which calls for a referendum on the July charter in November and for the upcoming elections to be held under a PR system.
NCP convener Nahid Islam quickly slammed the PR proposal on social media. “The so‑called ‘Proportional Representation Movement’ that Jamaat launched is nothing but a calculated political deception,” he said. “It’s a deliberate distraction from the Consensus Commission’s reform process and a way to divert national dialogue from the real issues.”
Islam argued that the core reform – creating an Upper House in Parliament based on PR – was originally a constitutional safeguard. He said Jamaat and its allies have hijacked the idea, turning it into a technical PR debate to serve their narrower partisan goals. “It’s manipulation, not genuine reform,” he added.
In response, Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair, Jamaat’s assistant secretary general, posted on his social media page criticizing Islam’s comments as “unclear” and “misleading.” “We can’t understand what he’s trying to say,” Zubair said. “The nation expects more mature statements from him.”
The standoff highlights growing uncertainty in Bangladesh’s political landscape. Parties that once worked with interim‑government adviser Muhammad Yunus to oust the ruling Awami League—currently led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina—are now locked in a bitter dispute over reform proposals. The debate over PR and new parliamentary structures may shape the next election and the country’s future political direction.
Source: ianslive
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