Bangladesh will hold a referendum on four key issues along with the national election in the first half of January , Muhammad Yunus, head of the caretaker set-up, announced in an address to the nation on Thursday. The Jamaat-e-Islami attacked Yunus, saying he had "ignored people's demands", and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) said the chief advisor had "breached the signed July Charter".

"We have decided that the referendum will be held on the same day as the upcoming national parliamentary election... This will in no way hinder the objective of reform," Yunus, the chief adviser, said in the speech televised on Thursday.

The referendum is key to implementing the July Charter signed by Yunus and political parties, including the BNP and the Jamaat. The July Charter seeks to refo

See Full Page