No Election Before AL Faces Trial and Reforms: NCP

Amid growing pressure from the BNP for an early election, the National Citizen Party (NCP) has firmly declared that no polls should take place until the Awami League faces trial and the national reform agenda is fully implemented.

Speaking at a massive rally in front of the South Gate of the national mosque in Dhaka on Friday, senior leaders of the NCP—a newly formed political platform initiated by Students Against Discrimination and the Jatiya Nagorik Committee—issued a strong warning against holding elections under the current political conditions.

NCP Convener Nahid Islam urged the interim government to outlaw the Awami League by enacting legislation that would ban its political activities during the prosecution of its leaders and activists, whom he accused of being involved in deadly violence during last year’s July-August mass uprising.

“Awami League is no longer a political party—it is a terrorist organisation. Its registration must be revoked,” Nahid declared, citing alleged involvement of its members in violence at Shapla Chattar, an anti-Modi protest, and the July uprising.

He called on the authorities to take decisive steps to bar Awami League leaders from participating in the upcoming general elections, vowing that NCP activists would resist any such attempts.

Nahid also pressed for the announcement of the “July Charter,” which he said must explicitly include a permanent ban on Awami League politics in Bangladesh.

“If the interim government fails to ensure its trial, the fascist Awami League will face the people’s court,” Nahid added, reiterating that no election will be tolerated before that happens.

Meanwhile, BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, addressing a separate event virtually at the National Press Club in Dhaka, urged the government to swiftly unveil a roadmap for the next general election.