Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami on Monday announced fresh protest programmes, placing a five-point demand that includes holding the next national election in February under a proportional representation (PR) system, dissolution of the activities of Jatiya Party and the ruling 14-party alliance, and implementing the National Charter.

As part of the programme, Jamaat will stage a demonstration and rally in Dhaka on September 18.

The announcement came from a press conference at Al-Falah Auditorium in the city’s Moghbazar area, addressed by Jamaat’s Nayeb-e-Ameer Dr Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher.

He said several other like-minded parties have already declared similar demands and movements.

“Since the demands are the same, each party is carrying out programmes in their own way. We are not yet calling it a simultaneous movement,” Taher noted.

Criticising the Election Commission’s unilateral roadmap, he said the demand for PR-based elections aims to curb the influence of black money, muscle power, and other irregularities.

“We see no alternative to a mass movement as the people’s demands are being ignored,” he added.

Rejecting the allegation that Jamaat is trying to delay the polls, Taher said, “There are still five months before February. It is possible to fulfil our demands by then. If anyone claims we want to delay the polls, let them prove it.”

Taher further said, “If other parties’ demands are logical, we will support them. If ours are logical, we expect the same. Logic will determine which is just.”

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis also announced a protest programme demanding implementation of the July Charter, introduction of PR in the upper house of parliament, and a five-point agenda similar to Jamaat’s.

Its Ameer, Maulana Mamunul Haque, made the announcement at a press conference at the party’s central office in Purana Paltan on Sunday.

The party will hold a protest rally in Dhaka on September 18, followed by nationwide demonstrations on September 19 and 26.

Other demands include banning the activities of Jatiya Party and the 14-party alliance, ensuring a level playing field for the upcoming election, and bringing visible justice for the July killings.

Mamunul warned that the July Charter cannot be rendered “paper-based and ineffective” like other declarations in the past.

He also said discussions are underway with Jamaat, Islami Andolon Bangladesh, AB Party, Gono Odhikar Parishad, NCP, Nezami Islami Party, and several other political groups to wage a joint movement.