The Professor Muhammad Yunus-led interim government wants to give constitutional recognition to the student-public uprising that took place against the fascist Awami League government in July-August last year. This recognition is known as the “July declaration”.
As the government wants to finalise the July declaration before 5 August, the first anniversary of the fall of the Awami League government, it has already sent a draft of the declaration to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and a few other political parties, responsible sources said.
Planning adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud, who was given the task of preparing the “July declaration”, sent a draft to the BNP, sources from the government said.
The sources further said the government wants a constitutional recognition of the July declaration. It also wants to include a few other issues into the declaration. That is why it has sought opinion of the political parties.
BNP sources said the reform initiatives and July declaration were discussed at length at the party’s standing committee meeting on two consecutive days, Tuesday and Wednesday.
Speaking about this, a standing committee member told Prothom Alo the declaration mentioned about the creation of Pakistan in 1947, the liberation war of 1971 and the mass uprising on 5 August 2024. But it did not include historic incidents like language movement in 1952, education movement in 1962, mass uprising in 1969. BNP might demand annexation of all the historic incidents in the July declaration.
BNP policemakers also think there is a politics of language in the July declaration prepared by the government. They will propose changing those.
It has been learned that the draft of the July declaration has highlighted the long struggle of the people of this land for independence. Following that, it mentioned the background of how the student-public agitation turned into mass uprising in 2024, and how Sheikh Hasina resigned from the post of Prime Minister and fled to India. The draft declaration also expressed an intention to trial of mass killing and crimes committed against humanity by the Awami League government during the July uprising and its looting of public properties.
The Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, the platform that led the mass uprising against fascist Sheikh Hasina on 5 August last year, took an initiative to compose the ‘July declaration’ on 31 December that year.
Later, the students shifted their position following an assurance of the interim government that it will publish the declaration, which became a much-talked about issue at that time.
The government, at that time, sent a draft of the “July declaration” to the political parties. On 12 February this year, the BNP submitted its proposals to the government in this regard. Since then, the government did not show any initiative for nearly five months.
Later, on 10 May, the government decided to finalise the July declaration within 30 working days in the face of demonstrations of the National Citizen Party (NCP).
BNP standing committee member Salahuddin Ahmed talked to this correspondent on Wednesday night. He said a declaration is just a declaration; this is a political document that could be kept at an archive. But there will be discussion on how to accommodate the historic mass uprising of 2024, that means the July-August student-public uprising in the constitution.
Party sources said the standing committee meeting also discussed the constitution, national security and other significant reform initiatives that are being discussed with the National Consensus Commission. It also took several decisions on certain issues.
On Tuesday night, Salahuddin Ahmed highlighted a report on discussion with the National Consensus Commission. Then the leaders gave their opinions on various reform initiatives.
There has been a political consensus during discussion with the Consensus Commission on raising the women’s seats in parliament to 100 from the current 50. However, no consensus has been reached on how they will be elected.
The BNP standing committee meeting decided they would take a position in favour of electing women representatives in parliament through an already existing method.