Bangladesh: ‘July Proclamation’ to Be Announced by August 5, Says Adviser Mahfuj

Melbourne, 2 August– The much-anticipated ‘July Proclamation’ will be announced by August 5, according to interim government Information Adviser Mahfuz Alam. He referred to the proclamation as a “reality.”

In a Facebook post early Saturday morning, Mahfuz Alam wrote,

> “The July Proclamation is now a reality. It will be announced by August 5. Thanks to everyone for keeping this issue alive through public demand and paving the way for its implementation.”

At around the same time on Friday night, Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan, Adviser to the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives, also posted a similar message on his verified Facebook account:

> “The July Proclamation is coming…”

This announcement comes amid tension and clashes among protesters at Dhaka’s Shahbagh intersection over the implementation of the ‘July Charter’. On Friday evening, scuffles broke out between two protesting groups, causing panic in the area. Police later intervened, brought the situation under control, and normalized traffic.

The ‘July Charter’ and the Movement

According to Chief Adviser of the interim government Muhammad Yunus, the ‘July Charter’ is a pledge document to be formulated based on the consensus of political parties over the recommendations made by various commissions aimed at state reform.

After the mass uprising in July 2024, 11 reform commissions were formed, which submitted a total of 166 recommendations. Among these, about 80 have reportedly received political consensus. The Consensus Commission has been holding a series of discussions over these recommendations for several months.

Professor Ali Riaz, Vice-Chairman of the Consensus Commission, called it a “national charter” and said it would be a milestone in the future political landscape. Commission member Badiul Alam Majumdar emphasized that “such consensus is essential to prevent the resurgence of authoritarianism in the country.”

However, frustration over delays in the government’s implementation of the charter has led groups such as the ‘July Parliament’ and ‘Warriors of July’ to organize sit-ins at Shahbagh.

On Friday afternoon, a new platform called ‘Up Bangladesh’ organized a public rally in front of the Shahbagh Museum demanding the July Proclamation.

Another group, Inquilab Mancha, had announced a symbolic “coffin march” on August 3 to demand the proclamation. However, after advisers announced the proclamation would come by August 5, they suspended the program.

Clashes, Accusations, and Police Response

Eyewitnesses reported that on Friday evening, two protest groups at Shahbagh accused each other of being “fake” and “infiltrators,” which led to clashes.

Sohaag Hossain, an activist of the ‘July Parliament’, alleged,

> “Some outsiders caused disruption within our group, and then police baton-charged us.”

However, Shahbagh Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Khalid Monsur denied the baton-charge, stating,

> “The two groups were fighting among themselves. We dispersed them. Blocking roads and causing public suffering in the name of protests is unacceptable.”

Some protesters blamed the National Citizens’ Party (NCP) for the conflict. But Arshadul Haque, Joint Secretary of NCP, rejected the allegation and said,

> “If the government does not take a positive step toward implementing the July Charter, we will proceed with our previously announced action plan.”

Meanwhile, the protest at Shahbagh led to severe traffic congestion, causing public distress. Al-Amin, a passenger on Malancha Paribahan, expressed frustration:

> “Why always Shahbagh for protests? If they demonstrated in front of the offices of those in power, the government would have responded faster.”