BNP welcomes July Declaration, Jamaat, NCP voice dissatisfaction

The announcement of July Declaration by the chief adviser has drawn mixed reactions from major political parties. 

While the BNP has welcomed the document, Jamaat-e-Islami and the National Citizen Party (NCP) have voiced dissatisfaction, citing concerns over its content, implementation, and inclusivity.

In an immediate reaction to the declaration, BNP Standing Committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury said his party sees no issue with the “July Declaration”.

“I don’t see any difficulty with the July Declaration from BNP’s perspective. It’s a declaration — an acknowledgement of a significant event that took place in the country in the context of recent history,” Khasru told The Business Standard.

He noted that the declaration reflects on various milestones in the nation’s journey, from the Liberation War to the July uprising, and serves as recognition of those events.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami expressed disappointment with the July Declaration, saying it failed to meet the expectations of the nation.

“We are disappointed with this declaration, and so is the nation,” Jamaat-e-Islami Nayeb-e-Ameer Dr Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher said this evening.

He said, “The declaration should have been incorporated into the constitution. We heard it would be implemented from 5 August, but there is no clarity on when or how that will happen.”

Similarly, the National Citizen Party (NCP) expressed dissatisfaction with the July Declaration, claiming it fails to reflect broader national consensus and instead echoes the BNP’s agenda.

Ariful Islam Adeeb, the party’s senior joint convener, told The Business Standard, “We were told the declaration would eventually be incorporated into the amended constitution’s schedule. However, our demand — shared by several other parties — that the next election be held based on the July Charter was ignored. This effectively reflects the BNP’s manifesto.” 

He further said, “Many of our party leaders raised questions about how the declaration ceremony was managed. While several of our top leaders — who emerged from the anti-discrimination student movement — were invited, they were asked to attend as ‘coordinators’ rather than as representatives of the NCP. Even then, not all 158 coordinators received invitations, which led to reluctance among some leaders to attend.”

Earlier in the day, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus today read out the July Declaration that aspires for state and constitutional recognition of 2024 July mass uprising.

“This document of declaration is written to reflect the aspirations of the people of Bangladesh at the event of the victory in the mass uprising of August 5, 2024,” Yunus said, reading out the written document.

The declaration also states “the people of Bangladesh express their desire to recognise the martyrs of the July uprising as national heroes and provide necessary legal protection to the students and people participating in the movement.”