All-Party discussion begins for July Declaration: BNP sends its representative

In an effort to prepare the July Declaration, an all-party meeting kicked off in Dhaka. 

Initially set for 4 p.m. on Thursday, January 16, at the Foreign Service Academy, the meeting began slightly later at 4:17 p.m., after the Chief Advisor‍‍`s arrival. 

Members from various political parties attended on time, according to reports from bdnews24.com.

Despite some uncertainty leading up to the meeting, BNP‍‍`s representative, Salahuddin Ahmed, a member of the party‍‍`s Standing Committee, was present. 

A four-member team from Jamaat-e-Islami, led by Secretary-General Mia Golam Parwar, also joined the talks.

Other political figures at the meeting included Zunaid Saki, the Chief Coordinator of Gono Sanghati Andolon; Nurul Haque Nur, the President of Gono Adhikar Porishod and former VP of DUCSU; Asaduzzaman Fuad, General Secretary of Amar Bangladesh Party (AB Party); Mohammad Nasiruddin Patwary, the National Citizens Committee’s Convenor; Akhtar Hossain, the Member Secretary of the Committee; Arif Shohel, the Member Secretary of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement; and Abdul Hannan Masud, the Movement’s Chief Organizer.

Representatives from various other organizations were also present, including Ahmad Abdul Kader from Khelafat Majlish, Gazi Ataur Rahman from Islamic Andolon, and Hasnat Kaiyum from the State Reform Movement. 

Shahid Uddin Mahmud Swapan, General Secretary of JSD (National Socialist Party); Masud Rana, Coordinator of BASAD (Bangladesh Socialist Party); and Kamruzzaman from the National Gono Front also participated.

The interim government had announced the all-party meeting to build consensus around the July Declaration. 

On Tuesday, Advisor Mahfuz Alam had said, “In the past 12-13 days, we’ve been working on preparing a declaration similar to the one proposed by the students. We tried talking to various political parties and stakeholders. Although we couldn’t speak with everyone, we did manage to connect with major groups like BNP, Jamaat, women’s organizations, teacher groups, and students.”

“They all agree that this declaration must be made, but we haven’t reached a consensus on the exact timing or content. I hope we can finalize it during today’s meeting.”

The push for the July Declaration followed the student and public movement that led to the fall of the Awami League government. 

On December 29, the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement and the National Citizens Committee made the formal announcement about the declaration. 

They also set a program for its release on December 31.

Hasnat Abdullah, the Convenor of the Anti-Discrimination Movement, shared his thoughts on December 29, 

"Through this declaration, we will show that the Awami League is as irrelevant as the Nazi regime, and we will essentially mark the end of the 1972 constitution."

Though the government was initially not involved in the process, it later announced its participation. Following this, the release date for the declaration was revised, and the government began working on the preparation, as confirmed by Advisor Mahfuz Alam. 

However, political parties have yet to show much enthusiasm for the process.