The Dhaka-Chittagong long march got underway on Saturday as the 11-party opposition alliance led by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami took to the streets, warning that its movement would intensify unless the government addressed a set of six core demands. The march marks the first in a planned nationwide series intended to build pressure on the administration ahead of further demonstrations later in the year.
Dhaka-Chittagong Long March Launched With Six Core Demands
The alliance is demanding implementation of the referendum verdict, justice for the July killings, and measures to ease shortages of electricity, gas, fuel and fertilizer. It is also calling for controls on rising prices, improvements to law and order, and an end to what it describes as narrow, partisan politics.
Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer and Leader of the Opposition Dr Shafiqur Rahman told an opening rally at Shapla Chattar in Motijheel that the march represented the interests of the country’s 180 million people and that the alliance would not return home until their rights were secured. The march began around 8:30am and was scheduled to culminate in an evening rally at Laldighi Maidan in Chittagong.
11-Party Opposition Alliance Warns of Escalation
Speaking later at a roadside rally in Mahipal, Feni, at around 4pm, Shafiqur cautioned that the government had only limited time before the alliance escalated its campaign further, urging supporters to stay prepared for a final call to the streets. He said the movement would continue both in the streets and inside parliament until the alliance’s demands were met, and warned that efforts to establish what he called “new fascism” in the country would be resisted far more quickly than in the past.
At the same rally, he accused the government of failing to address ongoing shortages of electricity, gas and water, arguing that while ordinary citizens went without power, supply remained uninterrupted inside parliament and at the residences of officials responsible for the energy sector. He said the public wanted uninterrupted access to electricity, gas, water and essential goods at affordable prices.
Calls for Referendum Verdict Implementation and Justice
Shafiqur also renewed calls for referendum verdict implementation, saying the alliance had pledged to accept and fully implement the result if the “Yes” side prevailed, and accused the government of failing to honor that commitment. He called separately for justice over the Shapla massacre, the killing of 57 army officers at Pilkhana, and other killings carried out nationwide over the preceding fifteen years, including the July killings.
He further appealed for the release of a young man identified as Sifat, who was reportedly detained after making comments about public suffering, invoking past incidents that he said had previously altered the course of the country’s politics.
Other Alliance Leaders Add Their Voices
Several other figures within the alliance addressed the rallies. Opposition Chief Whip Nahid Islam said the long march represented the will of the people and warned that any government attempt to obstruct it would see the alliance’s six demands consolidated into a single, non-negotiable demand.
Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar accused the government of failing to ease public hardship and of breaking earlier promises on the referendum verdict, calling on it to acknowledge its shortcomings in parliament and pursue constitutional reforms in line with the July Charter. Liberal Democratic Party President Col (retd) Oli Ahmed and Bangladesh Khilafat Majlis Ameer Maulana Mamunul Haque both issued similar warnings, cautioning that the government would face consequences if it failed to respond to the public’s demands.
Separately, NCP President Nahid Islam accused the country’s main opposition party, the BNP, of pursuing what he termed “parliamentary autocracy” and alleged that corruption and market syndicates had contributed to ongoing fuel shortages. He warned that failure to implement the referendum verdict and resolve the oil and gas crisis would ultimately cost the government its hold on power. The Feni rally was chaired by district Jamaat Ameer Mufti Abdul Hannan, with AB Party leader Mujibur Rahman Manju and other central figures from the eleven parties also addressing the gathering.
Route and Upcoming Programs
After the opening rally in Dhaka, the procession moved along the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway, with roadside rallies planned near the truck stand area on Chittagong Road in Narayanganj, at Paduar Bazar in Comilla, in Chauddagram, at Mahipal in Feni and at Mirsharai in Chittagong, ahead of the closing rally at Laldighi Maidan at around 7pm. Alliance leaders said the schedule could change depending on conditions on the ground.
Organizers said vehicles taking part in the march would use only one side of the highway to allow regular traffic to continue on the other, and alliance leaders held meetings with police officials to keep the program peaceful and orderly. They also apologized in advance for any inconvenience caused to the public along the route.
The Dhaka-Chittagong long march is the first of several such programs planned by the alliance. Further long marches are scheduled toward Rangpur on September 19, Khulna on October 31 and Sylhet on November 21, to be followed by a larger program in Dhaka.
Conclusion
With the Dhaka-Chittagong long march now complete and further regional marches already scheduled, the 11-party opposition alliance appears set on maintaining sustained pressure on the government over the coming months. Whether the authorities respond to calls for referendum verdict implementation and the alliance’s other demands is likely to shape the tone of the remaining marches planned before the year’s end.
Published in SouthAsianDesk, September 6th, 2026
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