No February polls until justice for martyrs ensured: Nasir Uddin Patwary

Senior leaders of Jatiya Nagorik Party (NCP) have declared that Bangladesh’s upcoming 13th national election, tentatively scheduled for February next year, will not proceed unless state reforms and justice for victims of past political violence are ensured.

Speaking at the National Youth Conference on International Youth Day at the Krishibid Institute in Dhaka on Tuesday, NCP Chief Coordinator Nasir Uddin Patwary warned the interim government that elections before completing reforms would dishonour those who sacrificed their lives during uprisings. 

“If elections are held without reform, the government must return the hands lost by my brothers and the sons taken from grieving mothers,” he said, adding that the current political system must change to justify the bloodshed of past struggles.

The interim government has proposed holding the polls before Ramadan, with the Election Commission planning to announce the schedule two months in advance. Major political parties, including the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami, have broadly welcomed the timeline, but the NCP insists on completing trials of July Uprising victims and restructuring key state institutions before voting.

Patwary also lashed out at the media for allegedly misleading the public and criticised the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), warning of “dismantling its headquarters” if intimidation continues.

In the same event, NCP’s northern region chief organiser Sarjis Alam dismissed a Tk 10 crore defamation suit against him as an attempt at silencing dissent. 

“Such cases cannot scare us. We will not spare wrongdoing — whether by Awami League, BNP, or NCP,” he said.

Sarjis criticised recent statements by BNP leaders Tanvir Siraj, Fazlur Rahman, and Habibur Rahman, claiming they demoralised students. While recalling his detention alongside senior BNP leaders during earlier political crackdowns, he expressed disappointment at what he sees as a loss of courage among some opposition figures.

Other speakers included BNP Joint Secretary General Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie, Jamaat’s Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher, AB Party General Secretary Asaduzzaman Fuad, and senior NCP leaders.