Photo: Collected
The unity of the 11 parties remains intact and will only widen, not shrink, in the days ahead, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis Amir Mamunul Haque has said. He also said they would not fall into the trap of any plot or conspiracy.
Top leaders of the 11 parties met today (Tuesday) at the official residence of Leader of the Opposition and Jamaat-e-Islami Amir Shafiqur Rahman on Minto Road in the capital. Mamunul Haque made the remarks at a briefing after the meeting.
‘We have taken to the streets to repair the state of Bangladesh and carrying the debt we owe to the blood of thousands of martyrs. So we will not fall into the trap of any conspiracy or any plot,’ he said.
In Mamunul Haque’s view, it would be a mistake to see the 11-party unity merely as an alliance of opposition parties. They are together in a struggle to decide what the state should look like in future. The unity will hold in this fight to set the country’s course, resist hegemony and shut the door on fascism. He added, ‘Gradually the scope of this unity will grow further, not shrink.’
Announcing the next programme, Mamunul Haque said a long march would go from Dhaka to Kushtia via Khulna on 31 October.
He urged people across the country to join the long march spontaneously. In his words, the programme is meant to realise the heartfelt demands of 18 crore people. As with the previous two long marches, they hope this one too will succeed through ‘broad public involvement and people’s spontaneous participation’.
Mamunul Haque sought the cooperation of law enforcement agencies and the administration to complete the long march peacefully. ‘We hope no quarter will create obstacles or carry out any sinister activity centring on the programme. But if any such mischief is seen, the programme will be made a success by resisting it,’ he said.
Addressing the government, the Khelafat Majlis amir said, ‘Having taken state power with the people’s mandate, you must try to understand the people’s mood, wishes and intentions. Otherwise there is no reason for the outcome to be good.’
Mamunul Haque also voiced concern over the upcoming local government elections. They cannot trust that the vote will be neutral, he said. He alleged that by placing partisan people at secretary level in the Election Commission, the government had raised questions about its neutrality.
He also criticised the inspector general of police’s recent remarks on law and order. Talk of something like extrajudicial crossfire from the person at the top of the country’s law enforcement is ‘extremely alarming’, Mamunul Haque said. They were ‘stunned’ by such remarks and worried about law and order in the country, he added.
Journalists asked whether there was any fear of trouble in Gopalganj, which lies on the long march route. In reply, Mamunul Haque said they did not foresee any such risk as long as law enforcement agencies stayed alert.
There are many Islamist and patriotic people in Gopalganj, he said, and he expects them to be out on the streets in large numbers during the long march. Any sinister move or attempt at terrorist activity will be confronted on the streets, he said.
The meeting began at 10am to review the current political situation and to carry out the 31 October Khulna-Kushtia long march. Jamaat-e-Islami Amir and Leader of the Opposition Shafiqur Rahman presided. Among those present were NCP convener Nahid Islam, LDP chairman Col (retd) Oli Ahmed, Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar and Assistant Secretary General Hamidur Rahman Azad.
Background
The 11-party alliance earlier held a Dhaka-Chattogram long march on 5 September and a Dhaka-Rangpur long march on 19 September; it has also announced plans for a Dhaka-Sylhet long march on 21 November, Prothom Alo reported on 26 September.
According to a Daily Star Bangla report of 19 September, the alliance’s eight-point demands include implementation of the referendum verdict, justice for the July massacre, a solution to the fuel and fertiliser crisis, control of commodity prices and implementation of the Teesta master plan.
According to the Election Commission, voting will be held in phases in around 4,500 union parishads, and everyone has agreed to complete the UP polls by 6 June, bdnews24.com reported on 11 October.
At a glance
According to a Bangla Tribune report of 19 September, the Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliance includes the NCP, LDP, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, AB Party and Bangladesh Labour Party, among others.
Sources
Original report: Ajker Patrika
Background sources: Prothom Alo, 26 September 2026; The Daily Star Bangla, 19 September 2026; bdnews24.com, 11 October 2026; Bangla Tribune, 19 September 2026
