The National Citizen Party (NCP), new political platform of the students spearheaded the mass uprising last year, was officially launched on Friday vowing to pursue the politics of national unity over division and to materialize the vision for a second republic.
July martyr Ismail Hossain Rabbi’s sister Mim Akhter announced the top leadership of the central committee of the NCP at the inauguration rally this evening at Manik Mia Avenue in front of the National Parliament Building in the capital.
Just-resigned interim government adviser Nahid Islam made convener of the party with Akhter Hossen as member Secretary. Akhter Hossen was serving as the member secretary of the Jatiya Nagorik Committee, the civic platform led by the July uprising leaders.
Convener of the party Nahid Islam read out the declaration of the party outlining a transformative political and economic roadmap for Bangladesh, which will begin with writing a new constitution.
In its official declaration, the party announced its mission to adopt a new democratic constitution aimed at dismantling constitutional autocracy in the country’s political system.
The political party- emerging from its bastion on academic campuses– was launched under the initiative of the Jatiya Nagorik Committee and Students against Discrimination who had spearheaded the ‘anti-fascism’ movement that eventually toppled the Sheikh Hasina government in a student-mass uprising.
Akhter announced the rest of the names of the partial committee. Samanta Sharmin and Ariful Islam Adib have been made senior joint convenors while Dr Tasnim Zara and Nahida Sarwar (Niva) were made senior joint member secretaries.
Nasiruddin Patwari, convenour of Jatiya Nagorik committee, has been appointed as the chief coordinator with Abdul Hannan Masud as joint coordinator.
Hasnat Abdullah has been designated as the chief organiser (Southern Region), while Sarjis Alam has been assigned the role of chief organiser (Northern Region).
In the rally thousands of people, particularly students, were seen gathering at the capital’s Manik Mia Avenue to witness the launch of a new political party.
The inauguration programme kicked off with recitation from Holy Scriptures at around 4:20pm followed by a rendition of the national anthem. One minute silence was also observed in memory of the martyrs of the July uprising.
Among the political leaders, BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Advocate Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, BNP Joint Secretary General Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie, Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Prof Mia Golam Parwar, Chairman of Nagarik Oikya Mahmudur Rahman Manna, Chief Coordinator of Ganosamhati Andolon Junaid Saki, Biplobi Workers Party leader Akbar Khan, Islami Andolan Bangladesh presidium member Ashraf Ali Akand, Hefazat-e-Islam nayeb-e-ameer Ahmad Ali Qasemi, Bangladesh Labour Party chairman Dr Mostafizur Rahman Iran and Islami Oikyajote secretary general Sakhawat Hossain Razi attended the launching ceremony.
Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh executive president Major (retd) Abdul Mannan, Bangladesh LDP secretary general Shahadat Hossain Selim, Khelafat Majlis leader Ahmed Abdul Quader, Development Party chairman AKM Azharul Islam, AB Party leader Didarul Alam, and Jamaat’s Dhaka city south Ameer Nurul Islam Bulbul also attended the event.
Vatican City Ambassador to Bangladesh Kevin S Randall Kevin S. Randall and Pakistan High Commission Counselor Kamran Dhangal attended the function.
