Fakhrul rejects parts of National Charter, blasts Jamaat and Hasina

Bangladesh Nationalist Party leadership declared it would accept accountability only for charter provisions carrying its signature, distancing itself from unsigned portions of a national reform document. Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir accused organizers of removing dissenting opinions and inserting unauthorized language into final recommendations.

Speaking at an event in the capital on Saturday, Fakhrul rejected holding a referendum ahead of parliamentary elections and blamed the interim authorities for manufacturing political turmoil. He criticized Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami for attempting to claim sole credit for last year’s uprising while dismissing the 1971 independence struggle. The party official noted his organization endured 15 years of persecution under previous leadership, with six million members facing legal charges and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia imprisoned for half a decade.

Fakhrul demanded that India extradite the ousted leader, Sheikh Hasina, to face prosecution under domestic law. He traced democratic reforms to party founder Ziaur Rahman’s 1975 introduction of multiparty governance and Khaleda Zia’s shift from presidential to parliamentary systems. The National Consensus Commission delivered its charter blueprint to the chief adviser on Oct. 28, recommending a public vote either before or during national polling.