Dhaka, Sep 18 : In an escalating political standoff ahead of February 2026 elections, the radical Islamist party, Islami Andolan Bangladesh (IAB), has severely criticised the Khaleda Zia-led Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) for objecting to the Proportional Representation (PR) system despite its claim of having public support, local media reported on Thursday.

"If BNP really trusts the people, why should PR be a problem for them? Let them win 90 per cent of the votes and form a single-party government with 270 seats; we will have no objection. Why can't the BNP place its trust in the people?" Bangladesh's leading newspaper, The Daily Star, quoted IAB's leader Mufti Syed Muhammad Faizul Karim as saying at a rally organised at Baitul Mukarram National Mosque in Dhaka.

"Hold a referendum on PR. If the people reject PR, then we will also drop our demand. Our demands are clear. Reforms must be carried out, the July Charter must be given legal recognition, trials must be visible, and the election must be held under the PR system. These are people's demands," he claimed.

The Islamist party leader also questioned the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government for not accepting their demands.

'If you proceed with the election before reforms and trials, we will assume the government is leaning towards a particular party,' he added.

Reports suggest that a total of seven Islamic parties ' including Jamaat-e-Islami, Islami Andolan, and Khilafat-e-Majlis organised separate processions and rallies across Dhaka on Thursday, reiterating common demands such as implementing the July Charter, introducing the PR system, and a level playing field to ensure a free, fair, and acceptable election.

On Tuesday, the BNP standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed affirmed that his party is totally opposed to the PR system.

'We are against PR everywhere (both the lower and upper house). If any party wants it, they should put it in their manifesto and seek a mandate from the people. If the people support it, only then can they legislate,' he said.

The BNP leader also called the three-day protest programmes announced by the Islamist parties an apparent attempt to derail the next year's election.

The parties that earlier collaborated with Yunus to overthrow the democratically elected government of the Awami League, led by Sheikh Hasina, are now at loggerheads over reform proposals.

/IANS