Students who spearheaded the July-August uprising have launched their much-talked-about new political party, National Citizen Party (NCP), with the goal to establish a second republic and a new constitution in Bangladesh.

A partial convening committee of the party was announced at its inauguration ceremony on Dhaka’s Manik Mia Avenue on Friday, promising a ‘new political settlement’.

At first, the names of NCP Convener Nahid Islam and Member Secretary Akhtar Hossain were announced by Meem Akhtar, sister of Ismail Hossain Rabbi, who was killed in the July Uprising. Then, Akhtar read out the names of other members of the partial committee consisting of 151 posts.

In his speech, Nahid announced that there will be no place for pro-India or pro-Pakistan politics in Bangladesh, saying they will all unite to build politics and the state, keeping Bangladesh and the interests of its people in mind.

Aside from Nahid and Akhtar, there are nine people in the top positions of the committee. They are - senior joint conveners Samantha Sharmin and Ariful Islam Adeeb, senior joint member secretaries Dr Tasnim Jara, Nahida Sarwar Niva, Chief Organiser (Southern Region) Hasnat Abdullah, Chief Organiser (Northern Region) Sarjis Alam, Chief Coordinator Nasiruddin Patwari, Senior Joint Chief Coordinator Abdul Hannan Masud and Office Secretary Saleh Uddin Sifat.

Earlier, the inauguration ceremony of the NCP began at around 4pm with the recitation of the Holy Quran, Holy Geeta, Holy Tripitaka and the Holy Bible. After reading from the scriptures, the national anthem was played. Then, one minute of silence was observed in memory of the martyrs of the July Uprising. After that, two documentaries were shown highlighting the memories of the movement.

A stage was set up in front of the National Parliament Building on Manik Mia Avenue for the launch of the new party. On one side of the front row of the stage, seats were set up for leaders of various political parties. On the other side, seating arrangements were made for family members of the martyrs of the July Uprising.

Representatives of various political parties in the country, including leaders and supporters of the NCP and the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement from different districts of the country and different areas in Dhaka, attended the launching ceremony of the party. Two diplomats from Pakistan and Vatican City also attended the event.

Among the political leaders, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, Joint Secretary General Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar, Nagorik Oikya President Mahmudur Rahman Manna, Ganasanghati Andolan Chief Coordinator Zonayed Saki, Revolutionary Workers Party leader Akbar Khan, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis General Secretary Maulana Jalal Uddin Ahmed, Islami Andolan Bangladesh Presidium Member Ashraf Ali Akon and Hefajat-e-Islam Nayeb Amir Ahmed Ali Qasemi, Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh Executive President Major (retd) Abdul Mannan, AB Party leader Didarul Alam, Jamaat’s Dhaka Metropolitan South Amir Nurul Islam Bulbul, Labour Party Chairman Mostafizur Rahman Iran, and Islami Oikya Jote Secretary General Sakhawat Hossain Razi were present. Also, Mahmudur Rahman, editor of the Daily Amar Desh newspaper, participated in the event as a representative of civil society.

Meanwhile, NCP leaders and activists from different districts of the country gathered at Manik Mia Avenue in processions to join the inauguration ceremony of the new political party. As the afternoon passed, the crowd of leaders and activists left Manik Mia Avenue and passed Farmgate through Khamarbari in the capital. Leaders and activists from different parts of the country displayed placards with various slogans of the July Movement alongside the national flag.

After the party’s launching, Convener Nahid Islam began his speech by extending his greetings and best wishes to the students and public who participated in the July Uprising, members of the martyrs’ families, and leaders of political parties.

Nahid said in his speech, “Standing on this stage today, we only want to talk about the future. We want to go beyond the past history and talk about the dream of Bangladesh with a future potential. We are here today with the aim of realising that dream.

“In the July Uprising, the slogan ‘who are you, who am I? Alternative! Alternative!’ was raised by the students. Today, a new political party has emerged from that alternative. We believe that we have broken with the unity of all in the July Uprising the conspiracy created in Bangladesh to weaken the state by weakening the people of Bangladesh by creating a politics of division.

“We want to swear from this stage today that Bangladesh will never be divided again. There will be no place for pro-India or pro-Pakistan politics in Bangladesh.”

“We will all unite to build politics and the state, keeping Bangladesh in mind and the interests of the people of Bangladesh,” he added.

Then Nahid read out the manifesto of the NCP. He said, “In building this new Bangladesh, we all take an oath, unite, and move forward with determination in the fight to establish our desired Second Republic. Our country, our rights, our future - our Second Republic is not an elusive dream, it is our promise!”

Before announcing the committee, NCP Member Secretary Akhtar Hossain said, “Today, the people of Bangladesh have got a new opportunity. This is the partial organogram of the new political party of National Citizen Party formed under such an energetic leadership of those who are willing to shoulder this new responsibility, those who want to give something new to Bangladesh, those who want to realise the dream we had in the 1971 Liberation War - a Bangladesh of equality, human dignity and social justice, those who want to establish a self-reliant foreign policy in this Bangladesh, those who want to improve the fate of the people of this country, and those who want to create policies in the public interest.”

The party’s Chief Organiser (southern region) Hasnat Abdullah said in his speech, “We want to ensure that the dynasty is buried in this country. In this country, the son of a blacksmith will be the prime minister, in this country, the son of a woodworker will be the prime minister. In this country, leadership will emerge based on merit.

“There will be no differences among us in this country. There will be tolerance of political views, freedom of expression, freedom to express disagreement. There will be friendly relations with foreign countries but prescriptions will not be allowed. Who will go to this Ganabhaban will be decided by Bangladesh, it will not be decided by India. Who will go to parliament will be decided by the hard-working people of Bangladesh.”

Chief organiser (Northern Region) Sarjis Alam said, “If we want to realise the dream we had of a new Bangladesh after the escape of the murderer Hasina, all political parties must remain united.

There will be arguments for and against different issues among us, but at the end of the day, we should be united in the interest of the people of the country. We believe that if there is that effort among the political parties of the country, the Bangladesh of the future will be irresistible.”