'Referendum should be held by November'

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has insisted that the referendum on the July National Charter must be held by November.

Asked whether the party would sign the charter, after a meeting of the National Consensus Commission (NCC) chaired by Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus today, Jamaat's Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher said, "That will be known on the day of the signing ceremony."

He added that the referendum would lose its importance if held on the same day as the national election.

At the same meeting, Motiur Rahman Akand, a member of Jamaat's central executive committee, stressed that the referendum is a vital step for the nation to express its mandate.

"Our position is that the referendum should be held by November to give the July Charter legal force, and subsequent actions should be based on that foundation," he said.