Uncertainty has emerged regarding whether the newly elected Members of Parliament (MPs) from the 11-party alliance led by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami will take their oath, following the decision of BNP lawmakers not to be sworn in as members of the Constitutional Reform Council.

According to a statement issued by the media cell of the National Citizens Party (NCP) on Tuesday (February 17) around 11:00 am, elected MPs from the 11-party electoral alliance—including Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and the NCP—are holding an emergency meeting at the Parliament building to decide whether they will proceed with taking the oath.

The NCP stated that the alliance lawmakers are expected to reach a final decision during this meeting regarding their participation in the oath-taking ceremony.

Earlier, Jamaat-e-Islami Nayeb-e-Ameer Dr. Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher told Somoy News that if the BNP refuses to take the oath as members of the Constitutional Reform Council, it could hinder the reform aspirations that emerged after the mass uprising. He emphasized that Jamaat is committed to upholding the spirit of July. According to him, if BNP lawmakers do not take the oath as members of the reform council, then no Jamaat MP will take oath as a Member of Parliament. He said that remains their position for now.

Meanwhile, the Parliament Secretariat had made preparations for administering the oath to the newly elected MPs of the 13th National Parliament, as well as for members of the Constitutional Reform Council. However, BNP lawmakers have confirmed that although they will take oath as Members of Parliament, they will not be sworn in as members of the Constitutional Reform Council.

Before the oath-taking ceremony, Salahuddin Ahmed, the BNP-elected MP from Cox’s Bazar-1, stated that while an oath form exists for the Constitutional Reform Council, BNP lawmakers were not elected as members of that body. He also noted that the matter has not yet been incorporated into the Constitution.