July Charter to be drafted with political parties’ opinions: Ali Riaz
Professor Ali Riaz, vice-chairman of the National Consensus Commission, has said that they are yet to finalise the reform proposals submitted by various commissions.
The National Charter, known as the July Charter, will be drafted with revised proposals, taking into account the opinions of various political parties.
He made the remarks on Tuesday at the Doel Hall of the Foreign Service Academy in the capital.
The second phase of thematic discussions between the National Consensus Commission and political parties began today, Tuesday, at the Foreign Service Academy.
These discussions aim to build consensus on reforms across various sectors of the state. The second phase was formally started yesterday, Monday.
The Consensus Commission plans to finalise and draft the July Charter next month based on these discussions with political parties.
Today’s meeting is set to discuss several key issues, including Article 70 of the Constitution, reserved seats for women in the lower house, the process for selecting the chairperson of parliamentary standing committees, and certain aspects of the term and jurisdiction of the caretaker government.
Professor Ali Riaz remarked that face-to-face discussions among political parties in the reform process could lead to shifts in positions on many issues. He said, “Our time is limited. There is public curiosity about what the National Consensus Commission is doing. To address that, we’ve arranged for the second phase of discussions to be broadcast live so that people can follow our activities.”
He added that proposals lacking consensus would not be included in the July Charter. “We won’t agree on everything. There will be agreement on some issues, and the rest will be reflected in the political parties’ election manifestos. It will be up to the people to decide how much they accept,” he explained.
Ali Riaz expressed hope that the July Charter would be finalised by next month. “Political parties must remember that we need to reach at least a minimum consensus on the reform proposals,” he said.
A total of 30 political parties are participating in today’s discussions. These include the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Khilafat Majlis, Rashtra Sangskar Andolan, Amar Bangladesh Party (AB Party), Nagorik Oikya, Bangladesh Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Bangladesh JSD), Nationalist Democratic Movement (NDM), Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), National Citizen Party (NCP), Bangladesh Khilafat Majlis, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Gana Sanghati Andolan, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD), Gana Adhikar Parishad, Bangladesh Revolutionary Workers Party, Nationalist Like-minded Alliance, 12-Party Alliance, Islami Andolan Bangladesh, Gono Forum, Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal (BSD), Bangladesh Labour Party, Zaker Party, Jatiya Gano Front, Amjantar Dal, Bhasani Anusari Parishad/Bhasani Janshakti Party, Bangladesh Nejame Islam Party, Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal (Marxist), Jamiat-e-Ulama-e-Islam Bangladesh, and Islami Oikya Jote.
The meeting is being chaired by National Consensus Commission Vice-Chairman Professor Ali Riaz. Other commission members in attendance include Md. Ayub Mia, Safar Raj Hossain, Badiul Alam Majumder, Emdadul Haque, and Iftekharuzzaman.