Dhaka, Feb 27 (V7N) –The new political party, an initiative by the Jatiya Nagorik Committee (JNC) and the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement (ADSM), will be named the Jatiya Nagorik Party.
The new party will be officially launched at Manik Mia Avenue in the capital on Friday, though sources suggest the full committee may not be disclosed.
Nahid Islam has been appointed as the convener, and Akhtar Hossain will serve as the member secretary of the youth-led political party.
Additionally, Hasnat Abdullah has been appointed as the chief organizer for the southern region, Sarjis Alam as the chief organizer for the northern region, and Nasiruddin Patwary as the chief coordinator.
Meanwhile, the Shibir faction is anticipated to opt out of the party.
A joint meeting of the JNC and ADSM took place from Tuesday afternoon to evening at the JNC’s central office in Banglamotor, Dhaka, where several key decisions were made.
Four senior JNC leaders confirmed the party's name and the finalized leadership positions during the meeting.
Former Shibir leaders, who were expected by their supporters to assume top leadership roles in the new party, announced via Facebook that they would not be participating.
Ali Ahsan Zonaed and Rafe Salman Rifat, former presidents of Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir's DU unit and former convener and joint member secretary of the Nagorik Committee platform, confirmed their withdrawal from the party.
Though they made their announcements on social media, they did not submit any formal organizational statements, as the JNC had already dissolved its committees.
The JNC has declared the dissolution of all its organograms, executive committees, cells and search committees, except for the Central Convener, Member Secretary, Spokesperson and Chief Organizer, as the new political party takes shape.
Although top Shibir leaders are not joining the new party, some former Shibir-affiliated figures are reportedly participating in it.
Zonaed, while not citing a specific reason for his decision, criticized the party's leadership formation in a previous Facebook post, calling it "neither democratic nor inclusive."
The announcements by Zonaed and Rafe during a delegation trip to Beijing, which was at the invitation of China's Communist Party, stirred controversy.
Their participation in the 22-member delegation raised questions about representation, prompting the JNC to issue a statement denying knowledge of the visit and clarifying that no formal invitation had been extended to them.
The JNC also stated that individuals claiming to represent the organization without prior approval were acting independently.
Two additional former Shibir leaders within the JNC—Arefin Mohammad Hizbullah and Nayeem Ahmad—also declared they would not join the emerging party.
Hizbullah, who stepped down as co-spokesperson, voiced his frustration about the exclusion of former Shibir members from leadership roles based on their previous ties to the Jamaat-e-Islami’s student wing.
Since the July 2024 uprising, the JNC has fractured into three factions over leadership disputes within the upcoming party.
Former Shibir activists pushed for Zonaed to assume the second-highest position, while members with ties to Gonotantrik Chhatra Shakti and Chhatra Odhikar Parishad supported Akhter Hossen.
Adviser Mahfuj Alam backed Nasiruddin Patwary for the same role.
Zonaed was initially offered the senior joint convener position, with Rafe expected to hold a key role as well.
Although tensions have somewhat eased, leadership issues remain unresolved, causing a two-day delay in the party’s launch event.
Sources indicate that the new party plans to include all political groups involved in the 2024 uprising, such as the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami, though government representatives will not be part of the party.
Nahid Islam, a prominent student movement coordinator, resigned from his government advisory position on Tuesday to take up the role of convener for the new party.
The initial committee is expected to include 150 members, with plans to expand to 300.
The party’s first council may not convene for up to two years, with the convening committee leading the organization into the parliamentary elections scheduled for December.
END/MSS/AJ
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