NCP and 4 left parties do not attend July Charter signing
Although leaders from BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, and Islami Andolan Bangladesh attended the July National Charter signing ceremony, leaders of the National Citizen Party (NCP) did not.
Four left-leaning political parties also did not participate. These parties are the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal (BSD), BSD (Marxist), and Bangladesh JASAD.
The July national charter signing ceremony began today, Friday, at 4:37 pm at the South Plaza of the National Parliament building with the playing of the national anthem. A little earlier, Chief Advisor Professor Muhammad Yunus arrived at the venue.
Various political leaders and guests were present at the venue. However, leaders of the NCP and the four left-leaning political parties were not to be seen.
Musfiq Us Salehin, secretary of the NCP’s media cell, told Prothom Alo around 4:45 pm that no one from the NCP attended the July Charter signing ceremony. The reason for their absence had already been communicated through a prior press release.
Yesterday, Thursday, at around 2 am, the NCP issued a press release stating that they would not sign the July Charter without any legal assurances.
Earlier today, at the launch ceremony of the NCP’s workers' front, Jatiya Sramik Shakti, in Eskaton, Dhaka, the party convener Nahid Islam said that some political parties, in the name of national consensus, are deceiving the public by merely signing a piece of paper.
The four left-leaning parties had announced yesterday that they would not sign the July National Charter unless they received the revised draft before the signing ceremony.
Kazi Sajjad Zahir, president of the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), told Prothom Alo at 5 pm today, Friday, that none of the leaders of the four left parties, including the CPB, attended the July Charter signing ceremony. He said, “We already stated our position yesterday.”
After the interim government assumed office, it undertook initiatives to reform various sectors of the state. The Consensus Commission discussed the reform proposals prepared by six reform commissions formed in the first phase—on the constitution, the electoral system, public administration, the Anti-Corruption Commission, the police, and the judiciary—with different political parties.
The Consensus Commission held discussions with 33 parties in the first round and 30 in the second. Jatiya Party was excluded from these discussions, as it has been described as a “collaborator of fascism.”
During the two rounds of discussions held between February and July, consensus and decisions were reached on 84 reform proposals. The July National Charter is being prepared based on these agreements. Professor Ali Riaz, vice-chair of the National Consensus Commission, said yesterday that any party willing to do so may sign the charter later.
The signing ceremony of the July Charter was scheduled to begin at 4 pm today. Earlier, around 1 pm, a group identifying themselves as “July Warriors” took position at the venue. The police used batons to disperse them.
Subsequently, clashes broke out between the police and the “July Warriors,” involving brick-throwing and incidents of arson.