‘Greater Sunni Alliance’ to launch nationwide program from November 15 demanding participatory elections

Staff Correspondent

The ‘Greater Sunni Alliance’ has announced a nationwide program demanding participatory, free and fair elections. The program will begin with a public meeting in Chittagong on November 15, which will end with a grand rally at Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka on December 20.

The announcement was made at a press conference held at the Zahur Hossain Chowdhury Hall of the National Press Club on Monday, November 3.

The leader of the alliance and Secretary General of the Bangladesh Islamic Front, Principal S.U.M. Abdus Samad, read a written statement at the press conference.

He said, “Free, fair and participatory elections are the need of the hour for political stability, democracy and economic development in the country. Care should be taken to ensure that the national elections in February do not turn into another controversial election.”

Principal Samad complained, “Although almost 15 months have passed since the interim government took office, political stability and administrative impartiality have not been established in the country. Extrajudicial killings, political repression, the rise of extremists, interference in the judicial system, attacks on lawyers and defendants—these incidents have created terrible uncertainty in the country.”

The alliance presented 13 demands at the press conference. Notable among these are organizing fair elections as per the schedule announced by the Election Commission, ensuring the participation of all registered political parties, creating a level playing field, combing operations to recover illegal weapons, disqualifying corrupt officials, ensuring security of shrines and Darbar Sharif, stopping extrajudicial killings, protecting the freedom of the media, and forming a non-partisan election administration.

In addition, demands were made to not hand over the Chittagong Port terminal to foreigners, take effective action against foreign-backed terrorists in the hill districts, and not provide any corridor to the Arakan Army.

The Greater Sunni Alliance is formed by three political parties that believe in Sunni-Sufi ideology—Bangladesh Islamic Front, Islamic Front Bangladesh, and Bangladesh Supreme Party (BSP).

According to the announced program, a public meeting will be held in Chittagong on November 15, in Comilla on November 29, in Habiganj on November 30, in Narayanganj on December 3, and a mass meeting will be held at Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka on December 20.

Present at the press conference were Islamic Front Bangladesh Secretary General Principal Allama Zainul Abedin Zubair, Bangladesh Supreme Party Additional Secretary General Mohammad Aslam Hossain, Islamic Front Vice Chairman Principal M Ibrahim Akhtari, Bangladesh Supreme Party Vice Chairman Kazi Maulana Ashekur Rahman Hashemi, Maulana Rujul Amin Bhuiyan Chandpuri, Joint Secretary General Mohammad Ibrahim Mia and SM Bari Musa.