BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said his party will not take responsibility for any sections added to the July Charter after the BNP formally signed it.
“Our position is very clear — we will take responsibility only for the parts we signed, not for what was added later,” Fakhrul said on Saturday at a rally of freedom fighters organised by the pro-BNP platform Jatiyatabadi Muktijoddha Dal at the Jatiya Press Club.
He recalled that the Charter was signed in front of Parliament amid rain based on a clear understanding — that only the points agreed upon by all parties would be included, while differing opinions would be recorded as a “note of dissent.”
“But now, in the proposal sent to the Chief Adviser, those notes of dissent have been ignored and new issues have been added. This is unfair and deceptive to the people,” Fakhrul said.
Despite what he called “deceptive behavior” by the National Consensus Commission, Fakhrul said BNP acted responsibly. “We held a press conference to explain our stance. We didn’t take to the streets or lay siege to the Chief Adviser’s office or the Election Commission,” he said.
Turning to Jamaat-e-Islami, Fakhrul criticised the party for taking to the streets and forming alliances to pressure the government.
On the upcoming national election, Fakhrul said it should be held in February 2026, as announced by Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus. “Whether the proportional representation (PR) system will be introduced or not should be decided by the next parliament,” he said.
The BNP leader said his party agreed to hold the referendum alongside the election to reduce costs. “We proposed two separate ballots — one for the referendum and another for the parliamentary election — on the same day. Holding them separately would cost over Tk 1,000 crore,” he added.
He criticised those demanding that the referendum be held first. “It’s not BNP delaying the election — it’s them,” Fakhrul said. “We’ve always called for the election to be held as soon as possible.”
Referring to BNP’s reform stance, Fakhrul said the party has long been in favour of change, noting that most of the points in the July Charter are already part of BNP’s 31-point reform agenda announced in 2022. “So how can anyone say we oppose reforms? We want genuine reforms, not deceptive ones that mislead the public,” he said.
Criticising former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is now in India, Fakhrul said she has been giving interviews to Indian media without expressing remorse for her “misdeeds and killings.”
“When journalists asked if she would apologise, she replied, ‘No, we will not apologise.’ That same person is now spreading propaganda from India,” he said.
Fakhrul urged the Indian government to send Hasina back to face trial in Bangladesh. “We call on India — don’t stand against the people of Bangladesh. Send her back to face justice under our law. The people will not accept otherwise,” he said.
