‘3 parliamentary parties unite to prevent AL’s return’

Despite differences over reforms and policy issues, the three major parties represented in parliament share a common position on preventing the Awami League from returning to power, Supreme Court lawyer Abu Hena Razzaqi has said.

However, he warned that political fear of the Awami League alone would not be enough to sustain the government. He called for swift constitutional reforms and implementation of the July Charter to meet public expectations and deliver tangible changes.

Razzaqi made the remarks at a roundtable discussion titled “National Unity: Ways to Overcome the Crisis”, organised by the Vision Peace and Strategic Studies Centre (VPSSC) at the National Press Club on Saturday.

He said the principal point of agreement among the parliamentary parties was to prevent the Awami League from returning to power, although they differed on other reform proposals and policy matters.

According to Razzaqi, the parties fear that an Awami League return could create a difficult situation for leaders of the National Citizen Party (NCP) and Jamaat-e-Islami. 

He said concerns over the party’s influence and its ability to use the administration to its advantage had contributed to this shared political position.

Razzaqi said people might be willing to endure economic hardship for another two years if the government could bring about the changes they expected through constitutional reform and implementation of the July Charter.

He urged the authorities to move quickly on the charter rather than rely on political fear, arguing that the benefits of reform needed to reach ordinary people.

The discussion was chaired by retired Lieutenant General Abdullahil Amaan Azmi, president of the VPSSC.
Other speakers included political analyst and political scientist Professor Dilara Chowdhury; former Dhaka University vice-chancellor Niaz Ahmed Khan; retired Lieutenant Colonel Kamal Akbar, chief executive officer of the July Shaheed Smriti Foundation; Manarat International University Vice-Chancellor Abdur Rob; Supreme Court lawyer Md Belayet; and human rights activist, researcher and political analyst Ruby Amatullah, among others.