The Bangladesh Tarikat Federation ( bn, বাংলাদেশ তরিকত ফেডারেশন; BTF) is a secular-

Sufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...

political party in

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

founded by Syed Najibul Bashar of the Maizbhandaria

tariqah A tariqa (or ''tariqah''; ar, طريقة ') is a school or order of Sufism, or specifically a concept for the mystical teaching and spiritual practices of such an order with the aim of seeking ''haqiqa'', which translates as "ultimate truth". ...

and some Pir-Mashaikh of Banglades. Bashar is currently the only MP representing the party in the

Jatiya Sangsad The Jatiya Sangsad ( bn, জাতীয় সংসদ, lit=National Parliament, translit=Jatiyô Sôngsôd), often referred to simply as the ''Sangsad'' or JS and also known as the House of the Nation, is the supreme legislative body of ...

Formation

The Bangladesh Tarikat Federation was founded in 2005 following Syed Najibul Bashar's resignation from the

Bangladesh Nationalist Party The Bangladesh Nationalist Party ( bn, বাংলাদেশ জাতীয়তাবাদী দল, Bangladesh Jātīyotābādī Dol; BNP) is a centre-right to right-wing nationalist, political party in Bangladesh and one of the major ...

, as the party had formed an alliance with the Jamaat-e-Islami which Bashar accuses of supporting terrorists.

Elections

During the

2008 Bangladeshi general election General elections were held in Bangladesh on 29 December 2008. The two main parties in the election were the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by Khaleda Zia, and the Bangladesh Awami League Party, led by Sheikh Hasina. The Bangladesh Awa ...

s, the federation had 45 candidates across the country but were unable to gain any seats. Following the

2014 Bangladeshi general election General elections were held in Bangladesh on 5 January 2014, in accordance with the constitutional requirement that elections must take place within the 90-day period before the expiration of the term of the Jatiya Sangshad on 24 January 2014. ...

s however, the federation managed to gain two parliamentary seats; with Bashar in

Chittagong-2 Chittagong-2 is a constituency represented in the Jatiya Sangsad (National Parliament) of Bangladesh since 2014 by Syed Nazibul Bashar Maizvandary of the Bangladesh Tarikat Federation. Boundaries The constituency encompasses Fatikchhari Upaz ...

and the party's erstwhile secretary-general M. A. Awal in

Lakshmipur-1 Lakshmipur-1 is a constituency represented in the Jatiya Sangsad (National Parliament) of Bangladesh since 2019 by Anwar Hossain Khan of the Awami League. Boundaries The constituency encompasses Ramganj Upazila. History The constituency was c ...

. In 2017, Awal attempted to form a coalition of Islamic parties which would include the

Islami Oikya Jote The Islami Oikya Jote ( bn, ইসলামী ঐক্য জোট, ''Islami Oikko Joţ'', "Islamic Unity Front") is a political party in Bangladesh and is allied with the Four Party Alliance. History During the legislative elections of 1 ...

along with the Khilafat Andolan, Faraizi Andolan and the Imam-Ulama Parishad. However, this attempt was opposed by Bashar, the chairman of the federation. On 17 April 2018, Bashar replaced Awal with Syed Rezaul Haq Chandpuri as secretary-general. The party sought 30 seats to contest the

2018 Bangladeshi general election General elections were held in Bangladesh on 30 December 2018 to elect 300 directly-elected members of the Jatiya Sangsad. The result was a landslide victory for the Awami League led by Sheikh Hasina. According to political scientist Ali Riaz, ...

under the Grand Alliance. The party managed to only keep the

constituency, which is also the headquarters of the Maizbhandaria order.

Views

In reaction to the

July 2016 Dhaka attack On the night of 1 July 2016, at 21:20 local time, five militants took hostages and opened fire on the Holey Artisan Bakery in Gulshan Thana. The assailants entered the bakery with crude bombs, machetes, pistols, and took several dozen hostages ...

, Bashar claimed that the Qawmi Madrasah system was to blame for the emergence of

Terrorism in Bangladesh Bangladesh has experienced terrorism in the past conducted by a number of different organizations. In the past, both ISIL and other terrorist organizations had claimed to be active in the country however, the Bangladeshi government believes that ...

References

2005 establishments in Bangladesh Islamic political parties in Bangladesh Islamist groups Political parties in Bangladesh Sufi organizations {{Bangladesh-org-stub