Bangladesh

Seven Qawmi-Oriented Islamist Parties Move Closer to Unity

09 September 2026 20:09 PM

NEWS DESK

The unity process among seven Qawmi-oriented Islamist parties has moved a step forward, with a Hefazat-e-Islam-formed subcommittee preparing a draft “integrated framework” based on proposals submitted separately by the parties.

Mufti Bashirullah, central organising secretary of Hefazat-e-Islam, told Kalbela on Wednesday (September 9) that the subcommittee discussed the proposals at a meeting at Hathazari Madrasa on September 1 and prepared the framework.

The framework will be presented to the leaders of the seven parties after Hefazat Secretary General Maulana Sajidur Rahman returns from Thailand, where he is receiving medical treatment. The parties will then discuss the framework and decide how to proceed with the proposed alliance.

The parties broadly agree on the need for unity, but differences remain over the alliance’s structure, political strategy and relations with other political blocs. Some parties want to retain autonomy over their political and electoral decisions, while others favour a more independent alliance free from other political groupings.

The seven parties are Islami Andolan Bangladesh, Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam Bangladesh, Khelafat Majlis, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis, Bangladesh Nizam-e-Islam Party, Islami Oikya Jote and Bangladesh Khelafat Andolan.

The initiative began on July 16, when leaders of the seven parties met at Jamia Azizul Uloom Babunagar in Fatikchhari, Chattogram, under the leadership of Hefazat chief Allama Muhibbullah Babunagari. The parties agreed in principle to work together and later submitted their proposals for forming a new platform.

The next meeting of the seven parties is expected to determine the final structure of the proposed alliance, including how closely the parties will coordinate politically and organisationally.