July Charter signing ceremony: Chief Adviser, political leaders sign July National Charter
Interim government chief adviser professor Muhammad Yunus, along with leaders of various political parties, has signed the July National Charter.
They signed the July National Charter 2025 at 5:00 pm on Friday.
Earlier, the ceremony began at 4:37 pm with the national anthem.
Members of the advisory council, leaders from various political parties, and members of the National Consensus Commission are all in attendance.
Interim government chief adviser professor Muhammad Yunus has arrived on stage at the July National Charter signing ceremony.
Leaders of various political parties and members of the National Consensus Commission have taken their places on stage at the July National Charter signing ceremony.
Guests have also begun arriving at the venue on the South Plaza of the National Parliament. Several advisers have already been seen there.
Among the leaders present are Salahuddin Ahmed, a member of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) standing committee; Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher, nayeb-e-ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami; Mahmudur Rahman Manna, president of Nagorik Oikya; Zonayed Saki, chief coordinator of the Ganosamhati Andolon; and Ashraf Ali Akon, presidium member of Islami Andolon Bangladesh.
The ceremony was scheduled to begin at 4:00 pm on Friday. However, around 1:00 pm, a group identifying themselves as “July Fighters” occupied the venue.
At one point, police charged batons to disperse them. This led to clashes between the police and the “July Fighters,” involving brick-throwing and incidents of arson.
Meanwhile, there was also a brief spell of rain, and the sky remained overcast.
At 2:58 pm, the chief adviser’s press secretary, Shafiqul Alam, wrote in a post on his verified Facebook account that the July Charter signing ceremony might be delayed slightly due to adverse weather conditions.
“Everything is proceeding as planned, and several guests have already arrived at the venue. We eagerly await the beginning of a new chapter in our nation’s history,” he added in the post.
Around 4:00 pm, education adviser CR Abrar, food adviser Ali Imam Majumder, environment adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan, liberation war affairs adviser Farooq-e-Azam, energy adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan, and the chief adviser’s special assistant Faez Ahmed Taiyeb were seen at the venue.
Speaking to journalists, Syeda Rizwana Hasan said, “It’s going to be a very good charter. There are, of course, a few notes of dissent. The task ahead is to minimise these notes of dissent and find ways to engage those who are not signing today. If the commitments made here are fulfilled, I believe it will mark the beginning of a strong journey towards democracy.”
On his way to the venue, Revolutionary Workers Party general secretary Saiful Huq spoke about the clash between the “July Fighters” and the police.
He said, “It is both embarrassing and unfortunate that such an incident occurred on the very day the July Charter is being signed. The situation that arose despite the vice-chair of the Consensus Commission’s announcement does not send a positive message for the movement.”
Lawyer and former Islami Chhatra Shibir leader Shishir Monir commented, “The ‘July Fighters’ raised three demands. We discussed these with them and with the Commission. The Commission showed great patience, accepted their demands, and made amendments to the July Charter accordingly. They should have no further cause for concern.”
Amid protests and discontent, the National Consensus Commission today, Friday, amended the fifth clause of the July National Charter’s declaration of commitment. The Commission announced the revision in a press statement at 2:00 pm.
It should be noted that the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, and Islami Andolon, among other parties, had earlier confirmed their participation in the event.
However, the National Citizen Party (NCP) announced in a press release issued at 2:00 am on Friday that it would not sign the July Charter without legal guarantees of its validity.
Moreover, four left-leaning parties—the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), the Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal (BSD), BSD (Marxist), and Bangladesh Jasad—stated they would not sign the Charter unless they received the revised draft beforehand.