The political forces behind Bangladesh's July uprising must overcome their divisions or risk undermining the country's independence and sovereignty, speakers warned at a discussion in Dhaka on Wednesday.
They said the aspirations of young people who led the uprising remained largely unfulfilled, with political parties increasingly competing to claim credit for the movement rather than pursuing state reform.
The remarks came at a discussion titled "July Charter After a Year: Exchange of Views with Young Stakeholders of the Mass Uprising," organised by the Amar Bangladesh Party (AB Party) at the National Press Club.
Mahmudur Rahman, editor of Amar Desh, said the young generation had succeeded in removing an authoritarian government but had yet to achieve its central objective.
"Our Gen Z has succeeded. They defeated the icon of fascism. But their dream, their aspiration to repair the state, has not yet been fulfilled," he said.
Mahmudur criticised the drafting process of the July Charter and said the former interim government had failed to set the right priorities.
He described the interim administration as a "friendly government of July" but said it had received insufficient cooperation from youth groups and the BNP.
He also criticised growing divisions among the political forces that supported the uprising.
"If this division continues, it will be difficult to preserve the country's independence," he warned.
Calling for a national convention, Mahmudur urged all pro-Bangladesh political parties, including the AB Party, to establish a united platform.
Shafiqul Alam, editor of Daily Waadaa and former press secretary to the chief adviser of the interim government, said the July uprising must extend beyond electoral politics into art, literature and culture.
"July has not been lost yet," he said. "We must strengthen a cultural movement so that Awami fascism can never rear its head again."
Shafiqul said the forces that sustain authoritarianism must be identified and challenged, drawing a historical parallel with the rise of Adolf Hitler.
AB Party Chairman Mujibur Rahman Monju accused the current political leadership of abandoning its promises of reform.
"We must now draw up a new charter for repairing the state," he said.
Monju proposed a nationwide campaign to collect 40 million signatures in support of a new reform charter, arguing that ordinary citizens must become the principal stakeholders in rebuilding the state.
He said the political crisis had deepened despite the uprising and subsequent election.
Monju also criticised what he described as mismanagement by the present government.
He recalled that critics had mocked the Yunus-led interim administration as an "NGO-gram" government because of its perceived inexperience, while some now described the current administration as a "London-Go" government.
Advocate Tajul Islam, former chief prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal, accused sections of the political establishment of belittling young revolutionaries.
He said young activists were being told to return to their studies now that the uprising was over, while some politicians had compared them to farm chickens.
"Those who belittle the contribution of the young have not learned from history," Tajul said.
"The July Charter is our red line. It cannot be set aside by invoking law and the constitution."
He argued that the uprising had transcended conventional legal boundaries as a popular movement and accused unnamed groups of attempting to construct counter-narratives using hired individuals.
The discussion was chaired by AB Party Chairman Monju and moderated by the party's youth wing member secretary, Hadiuzzaman Khokon.
Representatives of July-aligned organisations and families of those killed during the uprising also spoke.
They included Sagar Uddin of Tarunnyer July Foundation, Riyadul Islam Juba of July Oikya and Alvi Nabil, brother of Sohel Rana, who was killed during the uprising.
Senior AB Party leaders, including joint general secretaries Barrister Zobair Ahmed Bhuiyan and Barrister Abbas Islam Khan Noman, attended the event.