Dhaka: National Citizen Party (NCP) Convenor Nahid Islam, a key figure in the July Uprising movement, today stated that his party will continue to pursue its goals and is not currently considering joining any political alliance. “Those who share similar ideology are welcome to join NCP but currently, it has no plan of forming any alliance,” he said at a press briefing following a day-long coordination meeting with grassroots leaders and activists at the Shaheed Abu Sayed International Convention Center in the capital’s Shahbagh area.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the meeting was attended by representatives from the party’s district and upazila coordination committees, youth wing Jubo Shakti, Democratic Students’ Organization, and other affiliated bodies. Participants engaged in open discussions with Convener Nahid Islam and Member Secretary Akhtar Hossain to accelerate organizational activities.
Nahid Islam clarified the party’s stance on political representation: “We do not want proportional representation (PR) in the lower house. Rather, we seek participatory representation through PR in the upper house and full implementation of the July Charter.” He expressed optimism about the party’s registration process, stating, “We hope to receive the ‘Shapla’ symbol.”
Acknowledging the media’s role, Nahid mentioned, “We have no institutions of our own – the media is our last hope. We are not lost; in fact, we are moving forward at double speed.” He highlighted the party’s role in initiating student union elections, adding, “Student union elections have already been held at Dhaka University and Jahangirnagar University. More universities will hold similar elections soon.”
Nahid emphasized that student union elections are crucial for building democratic and safe campuses and for recognizing the leadership potential of students involved in democratic movements.