Marking International Women’s Day, the women’s wing of the National Citizen Party (NCP) 'Jatiya Nari Shakti,' formally launched on Sunday, with Monira Sharmin named convener, Mahmuda Alam Mitu as member secretary, and Nusrat Tabassum as chief organiser.

NCP Convener Nahid Islam announced the three-member committee at a programme held at the Dhaka Reporters Unity.

Nahid said, “We will try to find those women across the country whose voices were lost in July. Jatiya Nari Shakti will bring them forward once again. There are many questions about why women stepped back from the frontlines after July. We also share responsibility for this. Those who are still in politics have faced such intense cyberbullying that many were forced to retreat.”

Nahid said women from NCP’s other affiliated bodies, as well as those outside the party, would be encouraged to join the new platform. The newly appointed leaders will soon form a full-fledged committee and work on drafting the organisation’s manifesto, objectives and constitution. “They will also work to organise women across the country.”

Expressing hope for the organisation’s future role, Nahid said Jatiya Nari Shakti would take a strong stance in support of women’s rights in Bangladesh, particularly against violence against women and cyberbullying.

He noted that the party initially had no plan to form a separate women’s body, intending instead to address women’s issues within the main party structure.

“Later we felt there should be a distinct stream within the party that focuses specifically on women,” Nahid said, adding that the leadership eventually realised the need for a separate platform that would work both on women’s issues and the party’s broader ideals.

Among the new committee members, Monira Sharmin and Nusrat Tabassum also serve as joint conveners of the NCP central committee, while Mahmuda Alam Mitu is a joint member secretary of the party’s central body.