11-party alliance falling apart

Fresh questions have emerged over the future of the 11-party alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami, amid the country’s evolving political landscape following the 2024 mass uprising.

On Saturday, one of the alliance’s key partners, Khelafat Majlis, announced that it would no longer participate in the alliance’s programmes. Earlier in June, Bangladesh Khelafat Andolan had also declared a similar position.

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Meanwhile, Hefazat-e-Islam has launched an initiative to bring together seven Qawmi-based Islamist parties, fuelling speculation over the future of the Jamaat-led alliance.

Jamaat, however, insists that both Khelafat Majlis and Bangladesh Khelafat Andolan remain members of the alliance despite staying away from its programmes. The party has also described Hefazat’s initiative as a “government conspiracy” aimed at weakening the anti-government movement.

KHELAFAT MAJLIS WITHDRAWS

The decision was made at the third general session of Khelafat Majlis’s central Majlis-e-Shura, held at the Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh, in Dhaka’s Kakrail on Saturday.

In a statement issued after the meeting, the party said the 11-party alliance had been formed as an “electoral understanding” and had effectively “served its purpose once the election was over”. Although it had participated in several post-election programmes related to the July movement, it would now pursue its own political programmes independently.

However, conversations with several party leaders suggest that dissatisfaction had been building over what they described as inadequate seat-sharing arrangements before the parliamentary election, insufficient allocation of reserved women’s seats, a lack of proper recognition within the alliance, and the possibility that Jamaat may contest the upcoming local government elections on its own.

Abdul Hafiz Khasru, central publicity secretary of Khelafat Majlis, told The Daily Star, “The 11-party alliance was an electoral understanding. At this stage, implementing the July charter requires a broader national unity. If such a broader political understanding emerges, we will join it.”

KHELAFAT ANDOLAN QUIT

In June, Bangladesh Khelafat Andolan announced that it no longer considered itself part of the 11-party alliance after the electoral understanding had ended. It also asked the alliance not to use its name in future programmes.

Since then, no representatives of the party have been seen attending meetings or programmes of the alliance.

Its Secretary General Yusuf Sadiq Haqqani recently told The Daily Star that party leaders and activists became frustrated after failing to secure what they considered a fair share in seat negotiations before the election. Since then, they have stopped participating in alliance activities.

He alleged that Jamaat had effectively taken unilateral decisions since the alliance was formed, giving little importance to the opinions of its partners on political decisions and programmes. He also claimed that the alliance continued to use his party’s name in its programmes despite repeated objections.

HEFAZAT INITIATIVE

On July 16, a meeting chaired by Hefazat-e-Islam ameer was held at Jameya Azizul Uloom Babunagar Madrasa in Fatikchhari, Chattogram.

Representatives of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Bangladesh, Khelafat Majlis, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, Bangladesh Nezam-e-Islam Party, Islami Oikya Jote, Bangladesh Khelafat Andolan and Islami Andolan Bangladesh attended the meeting.

Afterward, an announcement was made that the seven Qawmi-based Islamist parties had, in principle, agreed to move forward together.

Azizul Haque Islamabadi, joint secretary general of Hefazat-e-Islam, told The Daily Star, “This is not a new initiative. Political alignments during the election created divisions among the Qawmi-based parties. Hefazat’s ameer has taken this initiative to reunite that strength.”

He said no final decision had yet been taken on forming a political alliance. The parties have been asked to submit written proposals by August 3 outlining how they envision future cooperation, after which a final decision will be made.

JAMAAT ALLEGES CONSPIRACY

Hamidur Rahman Azad, assistant secretary general of Jamaat and coordinator of the 11-party alliance, dismissed suggestions that the alliance was falling apart.

“There is no problem within the 11-party alliance. The alliance exists and will continue to exist. Not every party can participate in every programme all the time,” he said.

Referring to Khelafat Majlis and Bangladesh Khelafat Andolan, Azad said, “Neither party has said it is leaving the alliance. They have only said they are unable to participate in some programmes for the time being.”

On Hefazat’s initiative, he alleged, “The discussion over forming a new seven-party alliance is part of a government conspiracy. It is being used as a tactic to weaken the anti-government movement.”

Rejecting the allegation, Islamabadi said, “There is no government or political agenda behind this initiative. The sole objective is to preserve the unity of the Qawmi forces. Calling it a conspiracy is merely a political statement. They are blaming the government to cover up their failure to keep their alliance partners together.”

Khelafat Majlis leader Abdul Hafiz Khasru also denied that Hefazat’s meeting had discussed forming a new political alliance.

“The main focus of the meeting was to restore coordination and unity among the Qawmi-based parties in response to what we see as growing anti-Islam activities,” he said.